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109-609: From the 1950s, up until 1984, most of Singapore's influential leaders were members of the CEC, as well as the Cabinet of Singapore and the Armed Forces Council . The election of the CEC through "the PAP cadre system" has been described as a closed system in which "the cardinals appoint the pope and the pope appoints the cardinals". The PAP's organisational structure has Leninist roots whereby

218-841: A Code of Conduct for Ministers . For example, to counter potential allegations of corruption and unexplained wealth and to avoid potential conflicts between private interests and public responsibilities, the Code requires every minister, upon appointment to office, to disclose in confidence to the president through the prime minister all sources of income other than his salary as a minister and as an MP. This must include all assets, such as financial assets, real property, interests in any company or professional practice, and any other substantial personal assets as well as financial liabilities, including mortgages and borrowings. A Minister must also "scrupulously avoid any actual or apparent conflict of interest between his office and his private financial interests". Thus,

327-526: A conscience vote where any MP may vote as they wish, but these issues are rare and never tied to official party policy, and normally party discipline is very tight. In Canada , the cabinet is on rare occasion allowed to freely vote its conscience and to oppose the government without consequence, as occurred with the vote on capital punishment under Brian Mulroney . These events are rare and are never on matters of confidence . The most prominent Canadian cabinet minister to resign because he could not vote with

436-473: A Council of Ministers was created, made up of three ex officio Official Members and six Elected Members of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore , appointed by the governor on the recommendation of the leader of the house . Following the general elections that year, David Saul Marshall became the first Chief Minister of Singapore . Constitutional talks between Legislative Assembly representatives and

545-418: A Parliamentary debate on the issue, then Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann said: "It would be a sad indictment of my generation if no one came forward to serve without excessive monetary inducement, as to be bereft of deep convictions is to be impoverished indeed." On 11 April 2007, then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong told Parliament: "To make it quite clear why I am doing this, and also to give me

654-773: A coalition. In non-parliamentary governments like that of the United States, cabinet collective responsibility is not formally practiced. This is due to a clearer separation of the executive and the legislature in policy-making. The United States president's cabinet members cannot simultaneously serve in Congress , and therefore cannot vote on legislation supported by the executive. The president instead has veto power over legislation passed by Congress. Cabinet unity and collective agreement between members are important to cabinet stability and party politics, but cabinet members do not have to publicly support legislation proposed or supported by

763-467: A committee would be appointed to review politicians' remuneration, and that revised salaries would take effect from that date. The committee to Review Ministerial Salaries, then chaired by Gerard Ee rendered its report on 30 December 2011, and released it to the public on 4 January 2012. As regards ministerial pay, the Committee recommended benchmarking an MR4-grade minister's salary to the median income of

872-590: A generation , ministerial pay was reduced by more than 17%. Nonetheless, it was reported that the prime minister still earned a gross annual salary of about $ 1.03 million before the variable component was taken into account. In April 2007, the prime minister's annual salary increased to S$ 3.1 million ( US$ 2.05 million), about five times that of the then president of the United States George W. Bush who earned US$ 400,000. The annual entry-level salary for ministers increased from $ 1.2 million to $ 1.6 million, and

981-549: A government has the flexibility to appoint the right person to be the minister for finance, than to compel that government to select from whoever is available in the House." However, he added that the Government had no intention to appoint a Cabinet minister from among the NMPs at that time. In May 2009, then MP Hri Kumar proposed during a Parliamentary debate that this stand be reconsidered as

1090-475: A group of elite PAP members known as cadres, elect 18 CEC members from a list of candidates. Originally when this structure was organised in 1957, the outgoing committee will recommended a list of candidates for the next CEC. This has been changed recently so that the CEC nominates eight members and the party caucus selects the remaining ten. The cadre system was started in 1957 by Toh Chin Chye , in an effort to prevent

1199-416: A larger national bonus. His annual bonus where the targets for the indicators have been met will be six months' salary, and 12 months' salary where they have been greatly exceeded. This will lead to a reduction in the prime minister's annual salary of 28% to $ 2.2 million (about US$ 1.7 million). Lee Hsien Loong said that he accepted the committee's recommendations. He remains the best-paid head of government in

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1308-422: A maximum bonus of six months' salary if the targets are greatly exceeded. This would result in a reduction of an M4-grade minister's annual salary by 31% of the 2010 figure to $ 1.1 million. Where the prime minister's remuneration was concerned, the Committee recommended that it be pegged to twice of a MR4-grade minister's salary and doing away with the fixed service bonus. Instead, the prime minister will receive

1417-543: A minister about cabinet meetings at which controversial proposals had been discussed. The Supreme Court ruled in 1993 that such discussions could not be disclosed because Article 28.4.2° required absolute confidentiality of cabinet discussions (though not of decisions which were formally recorded). The Seventeenth Amendment of the Constitution was passed by referendum in 1997 to add Article 28.4.3°, which allows such disclosures in exceptional circumstances. In New Zealand,

1526-444: A minister is not permitted to accept any favour of any kind from persons in negotiation with, or seeking to obtain any licence or enter into any contractual relations with, the Government, or to use official information that comes to him as a minister for his own private profit or the profit of any family member or associate. The president must declare the office of prime minister vacant if the prime minister resigns from office, or if

1635-402: A minister position. Tan See Leng was newly appointed into the cabinet as both a minister and second minister. On 6 June 2022, then prime minister Lee Hsien Loong announced his new Cabinet line-up and other political appointments on 6 June 2022. These changes took effect from 13 June 2022. Lawrence Wong was promoted to deputy prime minister and was appointed the acting prime minister in

1744-471: A minister. The prime minister and other ministers who make up the Cabinet do not vacate their offices upon a dissolution of Parliament, but continue in their posts until the first sitting of the next Parliament following a general election. The executive authority of Singapore is vested in the president and is exercisable by him or by the Cabinet of Singapore or any minister authorized by the Cabinet. However,

1853-425: A new government will be formed or parliament will be dissolved and a general election will be called. Cabinet collective responsibility is not the same as individual ministerial responsibility , which states that ministers are responsible for the running of their departments, and therefore culpable for the departments' mistakes. Cabinet collective responsibility is a tradition in parliamentary governments in which

1962-410: A partisan ministry. It rests on the notion that the executive ought to appear a collective entity, able to maintain cohesion and display political strength". In Australia, cabinet collective responsibility is fundamental to cabinet confidentiality, but also to protect private information from becoming public and possibly threatening national security . Cabinet solidarity is not a legal requirement, but

2071-454: A political convention and practiced norm. There is no written law that upholds cabinet collective responsibility, but it is deeply ingrained in Australia's cabinets as a political norm and is therefore an important aspect of the collective strength and influence of the prime minister's administration. Occasionally on highly controversial issues such as the 1999 republic referendum , there may be

2180-453: A similar convention of democratic centralism to their central committee . If a member of the Cabinet wishes to openly object to a Cabinet decision then they are obliged to resign from their position in the Cabinet. Cabinet collective responsibility is related to the fact that if a vote of no confidence is passed in parliament , the government is responsible collectively, and thus the entire government resigns. The consequence will be that

2289-596: A survey of 19 countries by the World Economic Forum magazine World Link had found that political leaders and senior civil servants of Singapore had the highest salaries. The pay of the Singapore prime minister (S$ 1.1 million, or US$ 812,858) was almost five times the average pay of the chief political executives of the nations surveyed (US$ 168,291). Senior civil servants were paid US$ 292,714, almost three times their counterparts' average pay. In August 2000, in view of

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2398-422: A while ago, and that he had not been influenced by pressure arising from the announcement of the ministerial pay rise. In 2008, the annual salary for entry-level ministers was $ 1,924,300. In view of the worsening economic crisis in 2008–2009 , as of January 2009 the prime minister's salary was cut to $ 3.04 million, while the pay of ministerial-grade officers was reduced by 18% to $ 1.57 million. In November 2009,

2507-408: A year, but said it would be reasonable for the prime minister to be paid $ 2.4 million in view of his heavy responsibilities. The Government said that in three years it planned to raise the pay of the prime minister to $ 1.46 million and that of ministers to 60% of the benchmark, and in the "longer term" to $ 1.6 million and two-thirds of the benchmark respectively. In February 1996, it was reported that

2616-572: Is a constitutional convention in parliamentary systems and a cornerstone of the Westminster system system of government, that members of the cabinet must publicly support all governmental decisions made in Cabinet, even if they do not privately agree with them. This support includes voting for the government in the legislature. This convention formed in the 19th century in the United Kingdom. Some political parties, most commonly communist , apply

2725-582: Is agreed upon by the participating parties. It is distinct from party platforms and details the compromises that parties made in order to cooperate. If a party fails to follow the government platform, other parties in the government can pull the plug and force the entire government to resign. Article 28.4.2° of the Constitution of Ireland states: In 1992, the Beef Tribunal was investigating allegations of political corruption, and wanted to take evidence from

2834-503: Is as follows: I, [ name ], being chosen and appointed as Prime Minister [ or Minister] of Singapore, do solemnly swear [ or affirm] that I will at all times faithfully discharge my duties as Prime Minister [ or Minister] according to law, and to the best of my knowledge and ability, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. Cabinet members are prohibited from holding any office of profit or actively engaging in any commercial enterprise. In addition, they are required to comply with

2943-518: Is done by issuing notifications that are published in the Government Gazette . For instance, the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (Responsibility of senior minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, Prime Minister's Office) Notification 2009 states: It is hereby notified for general information that, pursuant to Article 30(1) of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore,

3052-496: Is more likely to avoid contradictions and disagreements between cabinet members of the executive branch. Cabinet ministers are likely to feel there is a practical and collective benefit from being part of a team. Cabinet collective responsibility to the people also benefits party and personal loyalty to the prime minister. Solidarity within the cabinet can strengthen the prime minister's party and accelerate policy decisions and interests of that party. Presidential democracies often lack

3161-458: Is not an adequate mechanism to account for the burdens and responsibilities that come with the job." Rounding up the debate, then deputy prime minister Teo Chee Hean said that under the WP's proposal for calculating ministerial salaries, the quantum achieved was similar to the sum proposed by the committee, and that in his view the WP had approved the three principles of the new system: the requirement for

3270-640: Is that Ministers share responsibility for major government decisions, particularly those made by the cabinet and, even if they personally object to such decisions, Ministers must be prepared to accept and defend them or resign from the cabinet". Cabinet collective responsibility consists of two main features: Collective responsibility is not circumvented by appointing Ministers outside of Cabinet, as has occurred in New Zealand where, from 2005 to 2008, Winston Peters and Peter Dunne were Ministers outside of Cabinet, despite their parties not being considered part of

3379-457: Is the Cabinet that has the general direction and control of the Government. As Singapore follows the Westminster system of government, the legislative agenda of Parliament is determined by the Cabinet. At the start of each new Parliamentary session , the president gives an address prepared by the Cabinet that outlines what the Cabinet intends to achieve in the session. Under the Constitution,

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3488-430: The 2003 Iraq War ; however, she later resigned. Prime Minister David Cameron suspended the cabinet collective responsibility doctrine for the 2016 EU referendum , following the precedent set by Harold Wilson in 1975. Prominent cabinet ministers including Michael Gove and Chris Grayling opted to make use of the relaxation by campaigning to leave. A parliamentary system that uses cabinet collective responsibility

3597-655: The Colonial Office were held from 1956 to 1958, and Singapore gained full internal self-government in 1959. The governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara , who had power to appoint to the post of prime minister the person most likely to command the authority of the Assembly, and other ministers of the Cabinet on the prime minister's advice. In the 1959 general elections , the People's Action Party (PAP) swept to power with 43 out of

3706-525: The House of Lords . Once selected as cabinet ministers, each minister leads one of the government departments. Cabinet ministers respond to oral questions from MPs . The cabinet members, along with the Prime Minister, schedule weekly closed door sessions to discuss the collective stance of the cabinet to avoid inconsistent responses from cabinet ministers. The solidarity of the cabinet is consistently challenged by

3815-494: The Parliament of Singapore but plays a minimal role in them. Executive power lies in the hands of the Cabinet , which is made up of the prime minister of Singapore (the head of government ) and other ministers. At the same time, the prime minister and ministers are also Members of Parliament (MPs). Following constitutional reforms in 1991, the office of president was transformed from an appointed to an elected post. Thus, both

3924-462: The fusion of powers of the executive and legislative branches the prime minister relies on the cabinet to always support policy decisions. A breach of cabinet collective responsibility, such as when a cabinet member publicly disagrees with an executive decision, results in resignation or termination from the cabinet. The New South Wales Parliamentary Library Research Service in Australia explains that "one aspect of collective ministerial responsibility

4033-428: The party Whip 's instructions. The Cabinet may not be summoned except by the authority of the prime minister. As far as is practicable, the prime minister is required to attend and preside at Cabinet meetings, but in his absence he may appoint another minister to preside. Whenever the prime minister is ill, absent from Singapore, or has been granted leave of absence from his duties, the functions conferred on him by

4142-416: The prime minister is responsible for appointing the cabinet ministers. The cabinet ministers are usually selected from the same political party as the prime minister to make collective decision-making for legislation faster and more effective. Unlike a presidential system, as used, for example, in the United States, a parliamentary system's executive and legislative branches are intertwined. Because of

4251-536: The "Old Guard": As of 17 July 2023, the Central Executive Committee comprises the following members: Cabinet of Singapore [REDACTED] The Cabinet of Singapore forms the executive branch of the Government of Singapore together with the president . It is led by the prime minister who is the head of government . The prime minister is a Member of Parliament (MP) appointed by

4360-639: The 1930s when in Britain the National Government allowed its Liberal members to oppose the introduction of protective tariffs ; and again when Harold Wilson allowed Cabinet members to campaign both for and against the 1975 referendum on whether the UK should remain in the European Economic Community . In 2003, Tony Blair allowed Clare Short to stay in the cabinet, despite her public opposition to

4469-436: The 51 seats in the Assembly, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. The executive branch of the Government of Singapore remained unchanged following Singapore's merger with Malaysia in 1963, and subsequent independence in 1965. Following the 2020 general election , a Cabinet reshuffle took place on 27 July 2020 for the "4G" leaders to experience different ministries with 37 political office holders,

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4578-561: The Cabinet from among the MPs, acting in accordance with the prime minister's advice. Any MP, including a Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) or a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), may be appointed a minister. Thus it is possible for a person who was not elected by voters to be appointed by Parliament as an NMP, then by the president as a minister. In 1990, then deputy prime minister Goh Chok Tong said in Parliament: "I would rather that

4687-425: The Cabinet is collectively responsible to Parliament. In theory, Parliament acts as a check on the power of the Cabinet as ministers are required to justify their actions and policies upon being questioned by MPs. However, in Singapore this is a weak check because the ruling People's Action Party holds a large Parliamentary majority, and party members who are MPs are required by party discipline to vote according to

4796-572: The Chief Minister and ministers' powers were ill-defined, and that the Official Members retained control of the finance, administration, and internal security and law portfolios. This led to confrontation between Marshall, who saw himself as a prime minister governing the country, and the Governor , Sir John Fearns Nicoll , who felt that important decisions and policies should remain with himself and

4905-521: The Constitution are exercisable by any other minister authorized by the president. In general, the president must act in accordance with the prime minister's advice in appointing a minister for this purpose. However, the president may act in his own discretion if in his opinion it is impracticable to obtain the advice of the prime minister due to his illness or absence. The prime minister may, by giving written directions, charge any minister with responsibility for any department or subject. In practice, this

5014-509: The Government issued a white paper entitled Competitive Salaries for Competent & Honest Government which proposed that the salaries of ministers and civil servants be pegged at two-thirds the average principal earned income of the top four earners in six professions: accounting, banking, engineering, law, local manufacturing firms and multinational corporations. These professions were chosen because their top members had general management skills which ministers also had to have. According to

5123-592: The Leader of the House, who would be the leader of the largest political party or coalition of parties having majority support in the legislature. The recommendation was implemented in 1955. In the general election held that year, the Labour Front took a majority of the seats in the Assembly, and David Saul Marshall became the first Chief Minister of Singapore . Major problems with the Rendel Constitution were that

5232-715: The Official Members. In 1956, members of the Legislative Assembly held constitutional talks with the Colonial Office in London. The talks broke down as Marshall did not agree to the British Government's proposal for the casting vote on a proposed Defence Council to be held by the British High Commissioner to Singapore, who would only exercise it in an emergency. Marshall resigned as Chief Minister in June 1956, and

5341-503: The PAP's 4G leader and the next prime minister. While Lee Hsien Loong , Teo Chee Hean , Tharman Shanmugaratnam , Ng Eng Hen , Vivian Balakrishnan , Grace Fu and K. Shanmugam retained their portfolios with no new appointments. Indranee Rajah was also reshuffled into a new ministry as second minister while maintaining her role as minister in the Prime Minister's Office as of 15 May 2021. Maliki Osman and Edwin Tong were both promoted to

5450-664: The Prime Minister has directed that Mr S. Jayakumar shall, with effect from 1 April 2009, be charged with the responsibility for the following matters: and that he shall be designated as Senior Minister and Co-ordinating Minister for National Security. Ministers may be designated by the prime minister to be in charge of particular ministries , or as ministers in the Prime Minister's Office . Such ministers were formerly known as ministers without portfolio . The prime minister may retain any department or subject in his charge. When Singapore gained its independence from Malaysia in 1965,

5559-510: The Public Service Division announced that pay increments would be deferred for a second time in 2010 because of the uncertain economic recovery. A minister's 2009 salary of $ 1,494,700 per year was therefore 22% lower than the salary received in 2008. As at 31 December 2010, the remuneration of ministers depended on which ministerial grade – from the lowest to the highest, MR4, MR3, MR2 or MR1 – they were at. Each minister's pay package

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5668-626: The Singapore Constitution, the court found that the phrase ceased to command the confidence of a majority of the Members of Parliament was a term of art which had to be signified by a formal vote of no confidence taken by the legislature. In contrast, a Sabah court held in Datuk Amir Kahar v. Tun Mohd Said bin Keruak, Yang di-Pertua Negeri Sabah that loss of confidence could be assessed on

5777-585: The Singapore Government. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong , the Supreme Head of State of Malaysia, also ceased to be the Supreme Head of Singapore and relinquished his sovereignty, jurisdiction, power and authority, executive or otherwise in respect of Singapore, which revested in the Yang di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore. The Republic of Singapore Independence Act 1965 then vested the executive authority of Singapore in

5886-492: The Singapore economy's growth of almost 10% led by a rapid increase in exports, the salary of the prime minister was increased by 14% and those of other ministers by 12%. In response to public disquiet, Goh Chok Tong said that, spread across the population, the rises amounted to about $ 11 per person, equivalent to "about five plates of char kway teow [fried noodles with cockles ] per Singaporean". Subsequently, in late 2001, when Singapore experienced its worst recession in

5995-448: The ability to pass legislation quickly in times of emergency or instances of national security . Because cabinet collective responsibility forces the cabinet ministers to publicly agree with the prime minister's decisions, political debate and internal discourse is hindered. When disagreements occur within a cabinet dependent on collective responsibility, negotiating collective agreements can be difficult. Cabinet collective responsibility

6104-472: The absence of the prime minister and will continue as Minister for Finance. Lee Hsien Loong resigned from the office of the prime minister in 15 May 2024, and Lawrence Wong succeeded him as the 4th prime minister. On 18 January 2024, S. Iswaran was charged in the State Courts of Singapore with 27 charges relating to bribery and corruption and S. Iswaran resigned. Lee Hsien Loong appointed Chee Hong Tat as

6213-419: The basis of evidence other than a legislative vote. This might include, for instance, media reports or letters addressed to the president. Other Cabinet ministers must vacate their office if they resign, or if their appointments are revoked by the president acting in accordance with the advice of the prime minister. People who vacate their office as minister may, if qualified, be subsequently appointed again as

6322-410: The bonus should be made up of the national bonus, and the remaining third based on the individual's performance, which should be determined according to key performance indicators fixed for each ministry at the start of a new government's term. Moreover, only a portion of bonuses should be paid at the end of each year. Payment of the remainder should be deferred until the end of the government's term. If

6431-448: The cabinet was John Turner , who refused to support wage and price controls . In Canada, party discipline is much tighter than in other Westminster-system countries; it is very rare for any MP to vote counter to the party leadership. In Finland , collective responsibility has been established both constitutionally and as a convention. The Finnish Government and its ministers are collectively responsible for all its decisions. However,

6540-506: The chairmanship of Sir George William Rendel , which had been appointed to comprehensively review the constitution of the Colony of Singapore, rendered its report. Among other things, it recommended that a Council of Ministers be created, composed of three ex officio Official Members and six Elected Members of the Legislative Assembly of Singapore appointed by the Governor on the recommendation of

6649-408: The colony full internal self-government. Under Singapore's new constitution which came into force on 3 June 1959, the Governor was replaced by the Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State), who had power to appoint as prime minister the person most likely to command the authority of the Legislative Assembly, and other ministers of the Cabinet on the prime minister's advice. The Constitution also created

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6758-410: The constitution allows a minister to dissent by expressing an objection which is entered into the minutes. Nevertheless, while formally allowed, dissent is uncommon because it jeopardizes the stability of the government. Namely, majority coalition governments became the norm after President Kekkonen retired in 1981. A new cabinet must be approved by a parliamentary majority, thus a government platform

6867-422: The debates that the CEC would carry out before any of the "institutional policy-making forums" (e.g. Parliament) were thus mostly ceremonial. At these forums, the CEC would exhibit total unity. Differences in the CEC rarely emerged as part of a larger group; dissenting CEC members would voice their dissent in private to Lee Kuan Yew. The following are members of the first-generation (1G) team, most commonly known as

6976-602: The dissolution of Parliament. This gives the former prime minister the opportunity to consolidate support by receiving a fresh mandate at the polls. At present, it is not clear what evidence the president may rely on to be satisfied that the prime minister has ceased to command the confidence of a majority of MPs, as the Singapore courts have not yet had to decide the issue. In the Sarawak case of Stephen Kalong Ningkan v. Tun Abang Haji Openg , decided on provisions similar to those in

7085-464: The electorate at elections." Critics have commented that adopting the practice would disenchant Singaporeans, deepen the already parochial political culture, and lead to a lack of accountability and legitimacy. Before entering on the duties of their office, the prime minister and other ministers must take and subscribe (sign) the Oath of Allegiance and an oath for the due execution of their offices before

7194-512: The executive branch of the Singapore Government remained largely unchanged, although now it governed a state within a larger federation . However, with effect from 9 August 1965, Singapore left the Federation of Malaysia and became a fully independent republic . On separation from Malaysia, the Singapore Government retained its executive authority, and the executive authority of the Parliament of Malaysia ceased to extend to Singapore and vested in

7303-487: The four indicators making up the national bonus were 2–3% for real median income growth of citizens and real median income growth for the lowest 20th percentile of citizens, 3–5% for real GDP growth, and not more than 4.5% for the unemployment rate of citizens. Each appointment holder's performance bonus would be determined by the prime minister. Cabinet collective responsibility Cabinet collective responsibility , also known as collective ministerial responsibility ,

7412-420: The general direction and control of the Government and is collectively responsible to Parliament. It also has significant influence over lawmaking. Ministers may be designated by the prime minister to be in charge of particular ministries , or as ministers in the Prime Minister's Office . Singapore's ministers are the highest paid in the world. Prior to a salary review in 2011, the prime minister's annual salary

7521-563: The grounds that the salaries had to keep pace with those in the private sector to attract the best talent and to avoid corruption. Teo Chee Hean , the then Minister for Defence and minister in charge of the civil service, was reported as saying: "We don't want pay to be the reason for people to join [the government]. But we also don't want pay to be the reason for them not to join us, or to leave after joining us." The increases sparked much debate both in and out of Parliament, with many people seeing ministerial pay as already being too high. During

7630-486: The leftist leaders in the CEC in 1957, as well as many non-PAP leftist leaders, the "Peranakan Circle" regained control of the CEC. The core of the PAP, the members of the first generation CEC began much of their chemistry as a basement group in Lee Kuan Yew's house . S. Rajaratnam described the CEC's tight-knit dynamics as a small jazz band, where "each musician plays the same melody, but is with considerable latitude in

7739-446: The minister's performance is poor, some of the withheld bonus should be clawed back . The WP's proposal was criticized by a number of PAP MPs. Then senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor expressed the view that "[p]olitical service is much more than public service. Civil servants are not subject to the votes of citizens nor do they need to carry the ground in policymaking. ... Pegging ministerial salaries to civil service salaries

7848-422: The moral standing to defend this policy with Singaporeans, I will hold my own salary at the present level for five years. The government will pay me my full salary, because that is the way the system will have to work, but for five years, whatever the increase in the salary above its present level, I will donate to suitable good causes." The following day, it was clarified that the Prime Minister had decided to do so

7957-728: The new Minister of Transport . Up to the outbreak of World War II , Singapore was part of the Crown colony known as the Straits Settlements together with Malacca and Penang . The earliest predecessor of the Cabinet was arguably the Executive Council of the Straits Settlements that was introduced in 1877 by letters patent issued by the Crown , though its function was very different from that of today's Cabinet. The council, which

8066-484: The newly created post of president, and made it exercisable by him or by the Cabinet or by any minister authorized by the Cabinet. Singapore inherited a Westminster system of government from the British . In such systems, there is an overlap between the executive and legislative branches of government. The head of state , who is the president of Singapore , is a member of both the executive Government of Singapore and

8175-582: The opposition in an attempt to create contradictions between cabinet ministers. It is therefore imperative for the cabinet members to have their responses as common and similar as possible. In the United Kingdom , the doctrine applies to all members of the government, from members of the cabinet down to Parliamentary Private Secretaries . Its inner workings are set out in the Ministerial Code . On occasion, this principle has been suspended; most notably in

8284-585: The pay of the president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission and judges. Following Parliamentary approval of the white paper in November 1994, the Government established an independent panel to examine the benchmark for the prime minister's salary. The panel's report, released in January 1995, recommended that the benchmark be about $ 1.6 million

8393-405: The pay to be competitive, recognition of the ethos of political service, and the desirability of a "clean wage" system (that is, one in which ministers do not receive additional benefits such as housing and medical allowances). PAP MPs then voted to endorse the committee's proposals. On 26 March 2012, the Public Service Division of the Prime Minister's Office announced that the fixed component of

8502-501: The popular leftist faction of the PAP, which dominated the party during its infant years, at the grassroots level and many of its committees and composed much of its early membership, from ever taking control of the CEC again. Prior to 1957, every party member could vote in the CEC elections. This had resulted in the leftists taking control of the CEC on 9 August 1957, with the original founders (the "Peranakan Circle") losing control. After Chief Minister Lim Yew Hock 's crackdown on many of

8611-668: The position of the Workers' Party , Chen Show Mao said that the basic monthly salary of an MP should be $ 11,000, the pay of an MX9-grade director in the Management Executive Scheme of the Civil Service. A minister should be paid five times this sum ($ 55,000), and the prime minister nine times ($ 99,000). then NCMP Gerald Giam said that ministers should obtain an average annual bonus of three months of their base salaries, and in any case no more than five months' bonus. Two-thirds of

8720-552: The post of the British High Commissioner, who was entitled to receive the agenda of each Cabinet meeting and to see all Cabinet papers. In the 1959 general elections , the People's Action Party (PAP) swept to power with 43 out of the 51 seats in the Assembly, and Lee Kuan Yew became the first prime minister of Singapore. Nine other ministers were appointed to the Cabinet. The British High Commissioner's role became that of an ambassador following Singapore's independence from Britain and merger with Malaysia in 1963. Apart from that

8829-455: The precise manner in which he backs up the others". Although party elections caused various members to enter and leave—overlooking the brief 1957 loss of power to the leftists—the core of the first generation of the CEC remained roughly the same for several election cycles up until 1984. Lee Kuan Yew was the core and firm centre of the CEC, providing "forceful leadership", in the words of political scientist Tilman. However, Tilman argues that he

8938-452: The president and MPs are elected to their posts by the citizens of Singapore in separate elections . The president appoints as prime minister an MP who is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the MPs. In practice, the prime minister is usually the leader of the political party holding the majority of the seats in Parliament. The president also appoints other ministers to

9047-402: The president normally plays a nominal and largely ceremonial role in the executive branch of government. Although the president acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check on the Cabinet and Parliament of Singapore, he is otherwise required to act in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet or of a minister acting under the general authority of the Cabinet. It

9156-470: The president who in the president's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the Members of Parliament (MPs). The other ministers in the Cabinet are Members of Parliament appointed by the president acting in accordance with the advice of the prime minister. Ministers are prohibited from holding any office of profit and from actively engaging in any commercial enterprise. The Cabinet has

9265-448: The president, acting in his discretion, is satisfied that the prime minister has ceased to command the confidence of a majority of the MPs. In the latter situation, the president is required first to inform the prime minister of his evaluation in this regard, and if the prime minister requests him to, the president may dissolve Parliament instead of making a declaration of vacancy. A general election must be held within three months after

9374-407: The president. The Oath of Allegiance reads as follows: I, [ name ], having been appointed to the office of [ name of office ], do solemnly swear [ or affirm] that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Republic of Singapore and that I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore . The oath for the due execution of the office of prime minister or a minister

9483-426: The president. It is, however, in a cabinet member's best interest to support and align with the president's policies because they serve at the pleasure of the president, who can at any time dismiss them or appoint them to another position. Parliamentary democracies such as Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada practice and adhere to cabinet collective responsibility. Rhodes, Wanna and Weller offer this description of

9592-466: The prime minister would be able to draw on the experience of many capable Singaporeans. He expressed the view that this would not offend democratic principles. Singapore's Parliamentary system placed more weight on the party in power rather than individual MPs, and "Parliamentarians must still win the support from the ground and, ultimately, the PM and the ruling party and his Cabinet team will still be answerable to

9701-426: The prime minister's monthly salary was based on that of the chief minister when Singapore was still a British colony, and was fixed at S$ 3,500 (equivalent to $ 14,867 in 2022). The monthly salary was not adjusted until 1973, when ministerial pay was revised and the prime minister's salary was increased to S$ 9,500 (equivalent to $ 40,353 in 2022) a month. The justification given by then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew

9810-402: The prime minister's salary was reduced by 36% (includes the removal of his pension) to S$ 2.2 million. Nonetheless, the prime minister remains the highest-paid political leader in the world. The earliest predecessor of the Cabinet was the Executive Council of the Straits Settlements , introduced in 1877 to advise the governor of the Straits Settlements . It wielded no executive power. In 1955,

9919-421: The principle of cabinet confidentiality is always observed. However, Cabinet solidarity can be weakened in coalition governments in which members from junior parties in the cabinet can openly dissent on specific policies through " agree to disagree " arrangements. The United Kingdom practices cabinet collective responsibility. The prime minister selects a number of cabinet ministers from the House of Commons and

10028-409: The principle of cabinet solidarity in Westminster systems of parliamentary democracy: "Cabinet solidarity and collective responsibility are twin dimensions of responsible party government that enjoy constitutionality , albeit informally. They lie at the core of ministerial governance. Cabinet solidarity is purely a political convention designed to maintain or protect the collective good as perceived by

10137-583: The public service. In such urgent cases, the Governor had to inform the Council of the measures he had taken. Following the Second World War, the Straits Settlements were disbanded and Singapore became a Crown colony in its own right. The reconstituted Executive Council consisted of six officials and four nominated "unofficials". In February 1954, the Rendel Constitutional Commission under

10246-401: The rate was below 2%, and a maximum bonus of eight months' salary was paid if the rate was 10% or greater. In addition, ministers received the same medical benefits as civil servants. In 2010, the benchmark annual remuneration for an MR4-grade minister was $ 2,598,004, while the actual salary paid was $ 1,583,900. An MR1-grade minister's salary was $ 2,368,500. The annual pay of the prime minister

10355-403: The real median income growth rate (that is, the growth rate taking inflation into account), the real growth rate of the incomes of the lowest 20th percentile earners, the unemployment rate , and the real GDP growth rate. As regards the latter, no bonus will be paid if the minimum targets for the indicators are not met. A bonus of three months' salary will be paid if the targets are met, and

10464-436: The salary of a political appointment holder would be 13 months of his or her monthly salary. For 2011, the annual variable component of the salary would be 1.25 months plus $ 250, while the national bonus would be 2.625 months though appointment holders would receive a pro rata amount of 1.618 months' pay as the new salaries took effect from 21 May 2011 when the Cabinet was appointed following the general election. The targets for

10573-478: The same number as the previous Cabinet. Heng Swee Keat was assigned an additional role as Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies while maintaining his other appointments as Minister for Finance and deputy prime minister. Gan Kim Yong , Ong Ye Kung , Josephine Teo , Lawrence Wong , S. Iswaran and Chan Chun Sing were reshuffled into new portfolios as minister. Tan See Leng was appointed as Minister for Manpower after Heng Swee Keat ruled himself out as

10682-498: The top 1,000 wage earners who are Singapore citizens , with a 40% discount "to signify the sacrifice that comes with the ethos of political service". It also recommended removing the special allowance and public service leadership allowance; capping performance bonuses at six months' salary (with good performers generally receiving three months' salary); and replacing the GDP bonus with a national bonus based on four equally weighted indicators:

10791-441: The white paper, the one-third "discount" would be "a visible demonstration of the sacrifice involved in becoming a minister". Although "[s]alaries should never be the motivation for persons to become ministers", the financial sacrifice had to be minimized if outstanding and committed Singaporeans were to be encouraged to take on the "risks and public responsibilities of a political career". The benchmark would also be used to determine

10900-490: The world, his proposed annual pay package exceeding that of the then Chief Executive of Hong Kong Sir Donald Tsang , the political leader with the second-highest salary in the world (around US$ 550,000), by about three times; and that of then president of the United States Barack Obama (US$ 400,000) by over four times. The committee's report was discussed in Parliament from 16 to 18 January 2012. Setting out

11009-434: Was S$ 3.07 million, while the pay of ministerial-level officers ranged between S$ 1.58 million and S$ 2.37 million. On 21 May 2011, a committee was appointed by the prime minister to review the salaries of the prime minister as well as the president, political appointment holders, and Members of Parliament. Following the recommended wage reductions by the committee which were then debated and subsequently accepted in Parliament,

11118-469: Was composed of "such persons and constituted in such manner as may be directed" by royal instructions, existed to advise the Governor of the Straits Settlements and wielded no executive power (including the Colonial Secretary ). The Governor was required to consult the Executive Council on all affairs of importance unless they were too urgent to be laid before it, or if reference to it would prejudice

11227-420: Was made up of fixed components (a monthly salary for 12 months, a non-pensionable annual allowance of one month's salary, a special allowance of one month's salary, and a public service leadership allowance of two months' salary) and variable components (an annual variable component, a performance bonus, and a gross domestic product (GDP) bonus). The annual variable component of up to one and a half-month's salary

11336-504: Was not the strongman of the political system as is wont to be found in many developing nations, as Lee could be opposed "cautiously" by other CEC members if dissent or resistance to Lee's policies became necessary. Most internal disputes within the CEC were confined to the CEC. Generally, the team would work out a consensus in the Prime Minister's Office; contentious issues were often resolved by Lee's one-on-one discussions with individual CEC members. Having been previously resolved informally,

11445-408: Was paid based on Singapore's economic performance. In years where economic performance was exceptional, a special variable payment was also made. Each minister's performance bonus was determined by the prime minister and could be up to 14 months' salary, though most good performers received the equivalent of nine months' salary. The GDP bonus depended on the nation's GDP growth rate. No bonus was paid if

11554-403: Was projected to rise to 88% of the private sector benchmark by the end of 2008. Almost half of ministers' pay packages was made up of an individual performance bonus decided by the prime minister, and a variable bonus component based on the country's prevailing gross domestic product and capped at eight months of each minister's annual salary. The pay increases were justified by the Government on

11663-463: Was replaced by Lim Yew Hock . The following year, Lim led another delegation to the UK for further talks on self-government. This time, agreement was reached on the composition of an Internal Security Council. Other constitutional arrangements were swiftly settled in 1958, and on 1 August the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the State of Singapore Act 1958 ( 6 & 7 Eliz. 2 . c. 59 (UK)) granting

11772-461: Was set at a fixed ratio to the MR4 salary, and was $ 3,072,200 in 2010. This included a fixed service bonus in lieu of a performance bonus since there was no one to assess the prime minister's individual performance. The fixed service bonus was the same as the performance bonus paid to a good performer at the MR4 grade. On 21 May 2011, following the 2011 general election , the prime minister announced that

11881-427: Was to help select new leaders amidst a better economic position. In 1994, then prime minister Goh Chok Tong received a monthly salary of nearly S$ 96,000 (equivalent to $ 407,773 in 2022, about S$ 1.15 million a year), while other ministers earned about S$ 48,900 (equivalent to $ 207,710 in 2022, about S$ 586,800 a year). This made them among the highest paid government ministers in the world. In October that year,

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