Monthly allowance for Members of Parliament to rise from $13,750 to $18,500 from Oct 15

Monthly allowances for Members of Parliaments (MPs) will rise from $13,750 to $18,500 from Oct 15.

The adjustment comes as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced in Parliament on Tuesday (Sept 8) that the Government has accepted an independent committee's recommendations after it reviewed the political salary framework.

On the same date, adjustments to the salaries of the President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker will also take effect.

Meanwhile, the Government will raise the salary benchmark of entry-level ministers at the MR4 grade to $1.8 million.

The norm annual ministerial wage has remained at $1.1 million since 2011.

Substantial allowance due to substantial responsibilities

Singapore last adjusted the salaries of political office holders and parliamentarians in 2011.

Contextualising the rationale for the increment to MPs' allowances, PM Wong noted that Singaporeans rightly expect their political leaders to have high standards of integrity and conduct, competence, responsibility, and accountability to voters at the ballot box.

"We chose not to treat the MPs’ allowance as a token allowance. It is a substantial allowance, because MPs carry substantial responsibilities in Parliament and in their constituencies," he said.

By providing a proper allowance, both the People's Action Party and the Workers' Party have been able to recruit and field strong candidates.

This has resulted in Parliament having MPs with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, who, PM Wong said, have brought different perspectives to parliamentary debates.

"We may disagree strongly across the aisle, but the quality of debate is high, and Singapore is better for it."

He added that because political renewal is a continuous exercise — election after election — there must be enough of them prepared to step forward, contest in elections, and take responsibility for the Republic's future.

从 10 月 15 日起，国会议员的月津贴将从 13,750 美元增加到 18,500 美元。

此次调整是在总理黄循财周二（9月8日）在国会宣布政府已接受独立委员会对政治薪酬框架进行审查后提出的建议之后做出的。

同一天，总统、议长和副议长的薪金也将进行调整。

与此同时，政府将把 MR4 级初级部长的薪资基准提高到 180 万美元。

自 2011 年以来，部长级官员的年均工资一直保持在 110 万美元。

因承担重大责任而获得的丰厚津贴

新加坡上一次调整政治官员和国会议员的薪酬是在 2011 年。

黄循财总理在解释增加议员津贴的理由时指出，新加坡人理所当然地期望他们的政治领导人具备高标准的诚信和行为、能力、责任感，并在投票箱前对选民负责。

他说：“我们没有把议员津贴当作象征性的补贴。这是一笔数额可观的津贴，因为议员在议会和选区都肩负着重大的责任。”

通过提供适当的津贴，人民行动党和工人党都能够招募和推出优秀的候选人。

这使得国会拥有了背景和经验各异的议员，黄英贤总理表示，他们为议会辩论带来了不同的视角。

“我们两党之间可能存在强烈分歧，但辩论质量很高，这对新加坡大有裨益。”

他补充说，由于政治更新是一个持续的过程——一次又一次的选举——必须有足够多的人准备好站出来，参加选举，并为共和国的未来承担责任。