Dr Lim Wee Kiak apologised and withdrawn the remarks he made about ministerial salaries

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, has since apologised and withdrawn the remarks he made about ministerial salaries. In a note on his Facebook page on Friday, MP Lim said he would like to clarify the comments he made to Lianhe Zaobao and reproduced in LianheWanBao. The comments had been quickly slammed by netizens.

His comments, as quoted from the Chinese papers:

If the annual salary of the Minister of Information, Communication and Arts is only $500,000, it may pose some problems when he discuss policies with media CEOs who earn millions of dollars because they need not listen to the minister's ideas and proposals. Hence, a reasonable payout will help to maintain a bit of dignity.

Apology by Dr Lim Wee Kiak himself on his Facebook [via]

Clarification, apology and withdrawal of my quote.


Minister's pay is a sensitive issue and is one that many are concerned about. I would like to clarify my comments made to Lianhe Zaobao and also reproduced in LianheWanBao


I made three fundamental points.
1. We need a balanced approach to the question of Ministerial pay.
2. Personally, I think we should not use pay and perks to attract capable people to come forward to serve. I agree with PM that there is a service to country element and an element of sacrifice expected for the Ministers by the public.
3. On the other hand, we need to take into consideration their responsibilities and job scope when we remunerate Ministers.

On further reflection, I agree that the example I quoted regarding a MICA minister meeting the heads of telcos and saying that there may be some loss of face if the minister's salary is low is inappropriate and incorrect. I withdraw those remarks and apologise for making them. Dignity cannot be and must not be measured purely in monetary terms.

MP Lim Wee Kiak apologises for comments on pay [via]