According to a source who attended a closed-door forum held on Budget 2018, a PAP Minister* confirmed that the ruling party has no plan to cut ministerial salaries as an austerity measure. The Minister revealed that the government is only looking at raising tax revenue to meet the “infrastructural and ageing population needs”, and that the ministerial salaries are off the table as the administration “are already taking on more multifaceted roles than before”. The forum participants were told that they should have faith that the ruling party administration is “one of the few prudent and responsible governments in the world, attested by election results”.
The government has in recent months raising taxes, and looking to increase more taxes by the introduction of Carbon Tax and online purchasing tax. GST will also likely increase to 10% according to the state media.
Singapore’s ministerial salaries is currently the most expensive in the world, at S$53 million-a-year, with dictator Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong alone drawing S$2.2 million a year. The multi-million ministerial salaries is one of the many legalised corruptions passed by the PAP-controlled Parliament. Despite having secured only 69.9% of the total votes in General Election 2015, the PAP have a 90% presence (82 out of 91 seats) in Parliament.
Ministerial salaries have been a source of discontentment even among the ruling party cronies, especially the older generation who have been increasingly vocal and critical about the government led by Lee Kuan Yew’s son. Lee Hsien Loong aspires to establish a legacy like his father’s, and this has led to a fiery family squabble that saw his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang now hiding in Hong Kong and his nephew Li Shengwu sued for contempt of court.
According to sources close with Lee Hsien Loong, the dictator intends to ropes his son Li Hongyi into government and take over “the family business”, meaning to take over as Prime Minister. At 30 years old with a barely 2 year private sector working experience, Li Hongyi is currently a director with the propaganda ministry, Ministry of Communications and Information.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong intends to hand over his premiership to his loyalist, former army general Chan Chun Sing. The intended appointment sparked ferocious objections by PAP MPs and even Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, who prefer Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat due to the huge disparity in experience and capabilities when compared with Minister Chan Chun Sing. The dictator PM has chosen to hold off his decision, asking for more time as he tries to convince his party to choose Chan Chun Sing instead.
*The PAP Minister’s identity is hidden as it would compromise the source.