Lawrence Wong responds to debate on motion on government response to political salaries review

Two areas of common ground - that salaries must be competitive while incorporating a substantial discount for public service, and on the move to be made in this term of government. They differ mainly on the formula. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong highlighted these observations in parliament on Thursday (Sep 10). He pointed out that in this term of government, there is no practical difference because it is taking a gradual and restrained approach in implementation. Within this term of government, there is also agreement on the implementation approach. Beyond that, it will have to consider the circumstances then. Five years from now, there will be another independent review; the committee then will look at the framework afresh, taking into account developments at that time, he said. Mr Wong pointed out that in politics, there is always a tendency to highlight differences and exaggerate them. He reiterated the areas of common ground, saying the issue is ultimately “not about me, the present Cabinet or even the PAP government of today”. Whoever governs Singapore will face the same challenge - to persuade good people to step forward and to assemble the strongest possible team for our country, he said. “So, whatever our differences, all of us have an interest in ensuring that Singapore continues to be well-governed,” he said. This means putting in place a framework that gives future governments and prime ministers the ability to sustain the quality of political leadership that Singapore will continue to need, he added.