Total Disappointment! -That's how I feel these many months after the GE2011. I was hoping that the tremors of the GE2011 would wake PAP up from their slumber.
I guess that at the end of the day, author Catherine Lim is correct - that the PAP doesn't have the sincere and ernest will to change and "reinvent" itself; despite what I believe is PM Lee's genuine wish and intentions. The Men-In-White have been gotten accustomed to a lifestyle that is too comfortable, too elitist and most importantly, that they too much to lose for them to ever want to change anything, really.
When I listen to Mr Chen Show Mao's parliamentary speech today, I cannot but admire the man even more as I listen to how wise and clear he is on the real crux of the issue at hand. In his speech, he clearly identified that the sequence in which the Compensation Committee and the Government has gotten wrong -
"The 1st principle should be political service and not competitive salaries. Political service should not be seen as a burden or sacrifice but a privilege and a calling".
His entire proposition is sound in how his party (The Worker's Party) has suggest in using the MP's allowance as the "benchmark" to set all political office bearer's salary. More importantly, he has the MP's allowance pegged against the Civil Service compensation scale which in turn is adjusted to ensure competitiveness with the overall Singapore labour market. There is common sense and logic in their proposal which is SIMPLE and where the man-in-the-street can relate. Granted that his suggestion of a Minister's salary being 5 times and the PM salary being 9 times that of the MP allowance is arbitrary, but then again, suggesting a 40% "discount" to demonstrate the ethos of "sacrifice" is also arbitrary.
What is more interesting is that our government and the esteem members of the compensation review committee are suppose to be man of high intellect, wisdom and integrity. Little wonder that they have not heard of new ideas and discoveries on the science of motivation.
I am sure most of you have heard of TED and will even have seen this presentation - It shows very clearly (and we know it in our guts when we hear Dan Pink) that behavioural analysts, scientists and psychologists are recognizing that the old school of conventional rewards motivation do not work for higher order work.
So what really has happened with this compensation review ?
Personally, I view it as the people at the top trying to ensure that the social order remains intact. For starters, the compensation review committee members are as follows:
1. John De Payva - President, NTUC (where the Secretary-General is a MINISTER)
2. Fang Ai Lian - Retired, Managing Director of Ernst & Young, on various boards
3. Stephen Lee Ching Yen - President, SNEF, Council of President Advisors, Chairman, SIA Engineering
4. Po’ad bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar - Council of President Advisors, was Managing Partner Deloitte & Touche
5. George Quek - BreadTalk entrepreneur
6. Lucien Wong - Managing Partner of Allen & Gledhill
7. Wong Ngit Liong- Chairman, Venture Corporation, 24th Richest in Singapore
They are either hobnobbing with the government or they are the Who's Who in Tatler Singapore. How can they even begin to comprehend the mystic of honor, calling and serving as a privilege?
In addition, they know many of the ministers well (or will know them well) and inevitably, they will have some level of allegiance towards them; afterall, they recognize that they are impacting the Ministers' lifestyle and families.
What is more unfortunate is that PM Lee has lost a great opportunity to make a believer out of me and many other educated Singaporeans who see the situation for what it is - A feeble attempt to demonstrate that PAP is "re-inventing" itself.
So far, it has served to alienate me even more.
