2 ex-PMs continue to have staff support
It will enable them to carry out official work when called upon: PMO
THE Prime Minister has decided that the Government will continue to provide staff support to Mr Lee Kuan Yew and Mr Goh Chok Tong.
Both men, who stepped down from the Cabinet in May, continue to make significant contributions to Singapore, especially internationally, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement on Tuesday.
The PMO also said that the staff support will enable Mr Lee and Mr Goh to carry out official work when called upon by the Government, as well as their duties as senior advisers to the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
The elder Mr Lee, 87, was in Government for 52 years, including 31 years as Singapore's first prime minister. In May, Mr Lee also relinquished his post as GIC chairman. He is now its senior adviser.
Mr Goh, 70, served in Government for 35 years and was prime minister for 14 of those years. Previously MAS chairman, he is now the central bank's senior adviser. He also has an honorary title - Emeritus Senior Minister.
Both men had chosen to step down from Government in May to give Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his new team a fresh, clean slate to carry the country forward in a more difficult and complex situation, they had explained in a statement then. Both remain Members of Parliament.
From Channel New Asia, each of the ex-PM will have one special assistant and one press secretary part-time, plus one secretary and two clerical officers full-time.
I hope the PMO will disclose how much are their salaries are in total. Well we don’t need to know exactly how much the 2 special assistant salary as salary are still a sensitive in Asian society but at least they should let the tax payer know how much are we paying to support these two ex-PM.
In fact, this two ex-PM are actually retired and are talking a role as part time advisor to the Singapore government so I think it is fair that they should be given part time assistant and come one, it is more then enough for both of them to share one full time assistant since now they are part timer too.
Don’t forget these two also travel frequently on First Class with tax-payer money to do what I also don’t know.
In fact the government should also give us a break down what and how did the two ex-PMs have contributed after they step down from the cabinet.
Moreover these two has accumulated enough wealth over the years to last 3 or more life times so can’t they afford to hired their own assistant?
Too stingy perhaps?
