Griping about the government

Tripping over the uneven road again, and nearly having my head severed by a passing car as I fell forwards from stepping into a pothole, caused the frustrated me to think of the government again.

Specifically, my member of parliament.

I mean, what's he/she there for?

First, I don't hear nor see him/her ever. In all my XX years of living here, I've never ever seen my member of parliament.

But maybe I'm not meant to see him/her as his/her role is something else. Like thinking of ways to improve my life.

So next, perhaps my member of parliament is meant to raise difficult questions or bring up issues of interest to me in parliament. But....I'm thinking very hard if I've ever heard any of my member of parliament actually raising up any difficult question or issue of interest.

*went into deep thought... and five hours later*

But maybe, the difficult questions are meant for the Finance Minister, Health Minister, Defence Minister. My member of parliament is only to improve my life.

So, perhaps I've never ever seen nor heard my member of parliament because, he/she is so busy managing my district, ensuring my roads are paved and even, my housing estate is clean, the lifts in my block stop on every floor, the security around my estate is good, the amenities are available.

But, the cleanliness of my area leaves much to be desired. Litter everywhere. On each lift lobby (from which lifts do not stop on every floor) has been converted to multi-task as a rubbish dump as well. Pity the immediate residents who have to suffer the occasional cockroach from the discards.

And pity the cleaner.

Next up, the roads are uneven, with potholes, if you look carefully. No way Segways can be take off here in the heartlands. Only Sentosa and districts 9, 10 and 11. Which ironically, is also where all the members of parliament and ministers and anyone else who's anybody lives.

So, someone tell me. What's my member of parliament for?

Lest you think you got them there, they'll be quick to tell me, improving the estate is what grassroots leaders are for. To walk the ground, find out what's needed and to get them fixed. Before my member of parliament's next visit so that he can claim credit.

Ahhhh.....I get it. My member of parliament is to grant me that rare glimpse of him/her during meet the people session. To know that I am represented. That he/she will fight for my cause.

But, have you ever been to those meet-the-people sessions?

They are periods of time in the week, when my member of parliament set aside to meet the people, but where they don't actually meet the people, and are instead holed up in the privacy of a room, where you have to get permission to see them, and all they'll do is sign on the petitions or letters drafted and printed and written on the residents behalf.

You don't know when they've arrived. You don't know when they'd left. You are just told they're there.

Like God. You just have to believe.

Are they even there, you might wonder.

And for that, they're paid. (Okay, the shaking of hands and waving to you from the podium and picture taking with your babies too)

That brings to mind how a company is run.

Think of your own employer.

Only the CEO, CFO, COO and the managers, plus you and me are actually doing the work. Without all of us, the firm will probably come to a stand still.

To ensure corporate governance, and to check on the CEO, CFO and COO plus you and I, we have independent directors. Who sits in the occasional board of directors meeting, listen to issues, and then sign on the dotted line.

Have you ever meet your company's independent directors? No?

Sounds familiar?

Like our member of parliament, right?

But the pay scale is very different.

Where an independent director is paid anywhere between SDG15,000 - SGD20,000 per annum for doing that occasional task, our member of parliament is paid......*drum roll* SGD216,300 !! More than 10 times!

That's before bonus and fringe benefits like getting their personal careers further advanced, using their position to open doors, getting discounts for their wives just because *roll eyes*

Why do I need a member of parliament for whom I do more for him/her than he/she does me?

And why do I have to pay a member of parliament for whom I do more for him/her than he/she does me?

And where your independent directors get their remuneration put up for approval at annual general meetings of shareholders, you and I as shareholders of Singapore Inc do not have that option of deciding if your members of parliament are worth that much.


The other day at work, we were just discussing the salaries of our public servants.

Did you know that it's not just the ministers who are paid multi-million dollar salaries? This category of people called permanent secretaries are also paid multi-million dollar salaries.

Who decides how much these folks are paid?

Themselves!

I like such a job. Someone else does the work. I take the credit. I decide my own pay.

Too bad for you.

And on top of that, I'm to be grateful. They give us SGD100 (from our own savings), during that year when they need us to keep them on their multi-million dollar salaries for the next five years in exchange.


For the uninformed, here are our public servants minimum salaries...before bonus, pension, benefits, etc etc etc.

The annual salary structure
With immediate effect, (in Singapore dollars):
President – $3,187,100 (up 24.9%),
Prime Minister – $3,091,200 (up 25.5%),
Senior Minister – $3,043,300 (up 13.5%),
Minister Mentor – $3,043,300 (up 13.5%),
Deputy Prime Minister – $2,452,500 (up 18.8%),
Minister and Senior Perm Sec – $1,593,500 (up 32.5% increase) (MR4 Grade),
Entry Superscale Grade – $384,000 (up 3.3%) [SR9 Grade],
Member of Parliament – $216,300 (up 23.2%).