SINGAPORE: Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong clarified in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sep 18), that he is not drawing a ministerial salary.
Mr Goh's post follows recent public discussion about ministerial salaries.
AdvertisementHe said: "I shall use this opportunity to debunk public perception that I am paid a ministerial salary. ESM is merely a title with no pay."
The Government on Sunday debunked “falsehoods” about ministerial salaries that have been circulating online.
The Factually website, which is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information, said the Prime Minister is being paid S$2.2 million a year, including bonuses and not S$4.5 million as reported by some websites.
[h=3]READ: Government debunks online ‘falsehoods’ on ministerial salaries[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementMr Goh said that he retired from the Cabinet in 2011 but continues "to work for Singapore", and uses his position to help raise awareness and funds for different groups of disadvantaged Singaporeans.
"Instead of threatening to get up from my grave when things go wrong, I prefer to contribute while still alive but without getting in the way of the younger leaders."
"Moreover, I have no plans to do a Mahathir!" he wrote.
Mr Goh, who was Singapore's Prime Minister from 1990 to 2004, is currently a Member of Parliament for the Marine Parade Group Representation Constituency.
He served as a senior minister until 2011 when he retired from the Cabinet.
The veteran politician has made his views about the Government's leadership succession planning known. Last month, he said at a community event that Singapore's ministers were not paid enough, but later clarified that reports on his comments had distorted his message.
[h=3]READ: 'Salaries is not our starting point in looking for ministers': Goh Chok Tong[/h]The salary of an entry-level Singapore minister is benchmarked against the median income of the country's top 1,000 earners who are Singapore citizens, with a 40 per cent discount to reflect the ethos of public service.
A review last year recommended that the benchmark be adjusted upwards in line with higher salaries in the private sector but the Government decided not to make any changes.
In a written response to Parliament last week, it was reported that ministers received a performance bonus of between three and six months from 2013 to 2017.
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