Highlights: Parliament debate on political salaries
MPs debated ministerial pay benchmarks, performance and transparency, with the government and WP differing over the longer-term salary formula.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong speaking in parliament on Sep 10, 2026, during the debate on Singapore's political salaries framework.
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SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament debated changes to Singapore's political salary framework on Thursday (Sep 10), including how ministers’ pay should be benchmarked, how performance should be assessed and the personal costs of entering politics.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said there was broad agreement between the government and Workers’ Party (WP) on the salary adjustments to be implemented during the current term, although they differed over the longer-term formula for benchmarking ministerial pay.
WP chief Pritam Singh backed the increase in MPs' allowances and the decision to limit the immediate adjustment for political officeholders to up to 9 per cent, but argued for a different formula for determining ministerial salaries. He also called for greater transparency over ministers' actual remuneration.
Mr Wong said the government would consider providing more information on where ministers sit within salary ranges and their variable payouts, including information in broad ranges.
Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng, drawing on his private-sector experience, argued that Singapore risked narrowing its pool of future leaders if the personal and financial costs of entering politics became too high.
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