department of crappy engineering: the pay gone hiking

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Tuesday, April 10, 2007

the pay gone hiking

I just realised there are so many versions of the header pic...

Look at their smiles! (and best to be accompanied by this song)

This is like how George Orwell described the pigs increasing their own power, authority and benefits in Animal Farm.

Oopz I didn't say who's pig!
(pic from dk and snoookems)

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23 Comments:

seems to me like they were trying to create a banner tat didn't seem so "happy".. hehz. see somehow the intensity of smiles and the smile of e foremost person decreases wif each banner... i find it really funny..

By tstar, at 4/10/2007 05:17:00 PM
very brave of u to make the inference

By Anonymous, at 4/10/2007 09:19:00 PM
Hmm... Where did you get the header pictures from...?

Anyway, talking about pigs, from what I know, there is one minister in all 3 versions of the pictures that is born in the Chinese year of the Pig...

Which one...? Hmm... Hint: think back to the nickname we had for our principal of our mutual alma mater...

By LCC, at 4/10/2007 09:38:00 PM
not scared later kena sued ah??

heard bout the pay hikes.. just coincide with GST hike..

so GST hikes does benefit the community.. (a small portion of it..)

By DJ Niwde, at 4/11/2007 12:02:00 AM
He didn't say who, that is what matters.

But then, I don't the govt is wrong in increasing the pay of civil servants. I think people have a bigger issue with increasing the pay of our MPs and ministers whom we know are already being paid quite a fair share.

I do agree with LKY's view on paying your MPs the best, afterall, pple like Balakrishnan or Ng Eng Hen can easily walk out of their ministerial position, undertake lesser stress and still aim the same amount.

When you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Since we don't pay peanuts, chances are we're not getting monkeys.

By Janan, at 4/11/2007 05:02:00 AM
anonymous: hi! erm I didn't say anything!

lcc: mickey tan? then who?

dj niwde: you don't call a few guys = the community.

janan: I still think that point doesn't stand. Do they take up the position just because of the money? If they really have the heart to serve the nation, they can always forgo with the money. It just shows that they are so easily baited by money and need money to keep them in place. Just like drugs. And what about volunteers who need to spend money from their own pockets to help the community?

They could have diverted the money to upgrade the lifts in opposition party ground.

By chillycraps, at 4/11/2007 06:27:00 AM
it is their job... they still need to eat and like normal ppl would like to have an increase in pay etc... it's the same for our lecturers, they teach but they're also humans and would like to see an increase in their pay, then can give better lives to their families and all that. I think as long as they do their stuff alright, a pay rise is fine, like a reward/incentive. we tend to forget that ministers are also humans. furthermore i tink this pay rise is only for one year or something?

By tstar, at 4/11/2007 08:52:00 AM
Mickey Mouse... (if this is not obvious enough, take the initials...)

By LCC, at 4/11/2007 10:25:00 AM
Since we are on the topic of "upward revisions" in the public sector salaries, for those interested, here're just some relevant food for thought...

Intelligent Singaporean

"Pay And Pay"

"Singapore Government Promotes Obscenity"

"Money-minded Civil Servants?"

And lest I be accused of being partial in my recommendations of relevant readings, here are some readings defending the "upward revisions"...

"Bill Gates+George Soros+Mother Theresa - How Much $$"

"Green Eyed Monster"

Apologise for bombarding you all with these readings during exam revision period...

By LCC, at 4/11/2007 10:48:00 AM
the pay rise is in 2 installments. so total pay rise will be 60+% by 08.

It's not right to peg the pay to the private sector because the private sector will do a pay rise too to keep their people. Then what? Pay rise again for ministers after that? Then the income gap will increase after that too.

Plus the quality of people civil service n private sector need is different. Plus, the risk in losing your job in civil service is very much lower.

Why is it ministers in Switzerland n many equally developed European nations are paid less? LKY said that these countries haven't seen the pace of development sg has seen. But how many cabinet ministers hv been there since 1965? They are reaping the success of the previous cabinet only, right?

Chilly is right. Civil service is a form of service to your nation. The measure of Love for your country shouldn't be tagged with a price.

By snoookems, at 4/11/2007 01:39:00 PM
tstar: it's the same sentiment when you know a monk wears rolex and travels around in a Mercz. It is not as though they are starving or something right?

LCC: i dunno why harry needs so much money...

snoookems: precisely, the equilibrium is always disturbed! A pay rise sounds reasonable, but pegging it when the market is near its peak is not quite right, and with all those "reasons" they are coming out with, it just makes things sound worse.

By chillycraps, at 4/11/2007 02:49:00 PM
Snookem and Chow are both partially right.

On the point about civil sector job security, you're spot on.

But....the world doesn't run on charity. Completely altruistic societies don't work out. That's exactly why communism failed. Be a doctor or be a farmer, you get two sacks of potatos anyway. People forget that the stress of being a doctor is way higher than a farmer, because one deals with lives directly. In the end everyone turns to farming. Your economy fails, what communism?

I think it's fine for them to raise the civil service pay, it's only fair that pple in the civil service get the deserved pay rise, whether or not our MP deserve it as well is the more debatable issue.

At the end of it, and I know you'll be really disgusted with me saying this, when you pay good bucks, you expect results. If this doesn't yield results, then people will show their discontent in the next election.

The potential guy being your finance minister can earn way more working in Morgen Stanley, Goldman Sachs etc, why should he give up all these comforts?

The guy who is altruistic, sad to say, may not be up to the task.

The comparisons to EU nations supports the need to offer good money to good people. These European nations inclusive of France, Germany and Spain all seeing record recessions and unemployment rates, you want those kind of guys leading our country?

But all in all, great points raised by Snookem and Chow, I think the bigger issue is that the pple who are good enough to lead this country don't stand up often enough, so we land up attracting them through monetary means.

By Janan, at 4/11/2007 07:32:00 PM
jan: since when you start calling me chow...

anyway, yup, you got a point there too. But then, we won't know for sure how stressful their jobs are... they may just be rubber stamp~ (that's why we have PMO) The point about EU is really clear and present, so no issue with that.

For the common citizens, GST increase and pay hike seem a bit in opposite directions.

I kind of wish they can increase the interest rate for my saving account.

By chillycraps, at 4/11/2007 07:42:00 PM
You are my idol chillycraps! For once you brought up political issues. I fully agree with what you had mentioned. Serving the nation cannot be measured by money, but it's the nationalism comes from your heart and soul. Otherwise, how can we build or preserve a patriotic SG nation? When everything we converse is all about $, $ and more $$. It's kinda sad for me to read the papers when one is resorted to end one's life by jumping into the MRT railway track, due to unusual poverty case in SG.

Based on the current situation, it's not as if our MP, etc are starving. Strictly speaking, I'm pretty sure they are earning more than an average Singaporean (who cares how they spend the excess $; after all, it's their own $). Conversely, why only compare with the top earners in SG? Why not the average (partially it's due to our stereotype upbring from our parents; always compare with the best in order to level urself)?

Honestly, I can't imagine what would SG be in times of chaos if this were to be run by a group of $-orientated mercenaries. Come to think of it, I doubt we can come out with a win-win solution to increase the MPs, etcs' pay and to pacify the people. Otherwise, we would be the ones standing in the parliament rather than leaving comments in cc's blog.

By swave, at 4/11/2007 11:27:00 PM
I think My discontent arises from the following:

1) Is such a big pay rise necessary? 60+% is alot, esp when we are talking in the mils.

2) I think the gov/newspaper could have been more upfront with this issue instead of saying "only 30% pay rise this yr" and pushing the next 30% in a tiny para somewhere else. In fact, I only found out that the rise is actually 60% from a non-local reporting body.

3) Timing couldn't have been worse. The highly unpopular Means testing was also announced this week. More pay = More creative solutions?

bahhhhhhhh. Maybe my parents shld gimme 60% allowance rise too to make my allowance competitive with market rates. HEh.

By snoookems, at 4/12/2007 12:53:00 AM
swave: as much as possible I want my blog to be apolitical, but somehow everytime near exam period this kind of political crap has to come out...

now Ah Long say he will donate his pay rise in the next 5 years...

snoookems: hahaha! ask your dad to peg your allowance to the market! anyway local media is jut the government's mouth, many of my friends give up on local newspaper already.

By chillycraps, at 4/12/2007 06:21:00 AM
yalor.

Now the sg PM earns :

5 times more than bush
8 times more than Japan's PM
many times more than m'sia's PM

Yippie.

By snoookems, at 4/12/2007 11:42:00 AM
but the salary comparison is something i'm a bit proud of leh...

By chillycraps, at 4/12/2007 12:45:00 PM
Ya, I watched the news too. Anyway, economic uprise or downfall, their pay remains competitive in spite of the 5 years donation to the charity organization.

By swave, at 4/12/2007 11:24:00 PM
simply unbeatable!

By chillycraps, at 4/13/2007 06:12:00 AM
I think its only fair tt your leaders have their pay slightly adjusted , in return for a more efficient and reliable government, who can bring us through the next few decades... The question of whether it is justifiable or not... Only time will tell...

Good lucks for your exams...

I'm so looking forward to 30th april...

LipTong

By Anonymous, at 4/15/2007 01:46:00 AM
now that sounds like they will have no pride or mood to work and provide efficient service to the people of Singapore if their pay stays at its current amount.

If I'm not wrong, the word minister comes from the word servant. How often do you find servant increasing their own pay?

Guess it doesn't take a few decades for the next pay hike to come. By then we will see how motivated by money they are, no?

Anyway there is nothing much we can do except to bitch about it.

By chillycraps, at 4/15/2007 04:57:00 PM
Bak Chor Mee Part II: The Price Hike

By LCC, at 4/23/2007 04:06:00 PM

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

the pay gone hiking

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