Comments on: Ministerial Pay: Be Mindful of the Affective Gap http://catherinelim.sg/2007/04/05/ministerial-pay-be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/ Political Commentaries on Singapore Sat, 12 May 2012 07:11:50 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Majulah http://catherinelim.sg/2007/04/05/ministerial-pay-be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-400 Majulah Mon, 05 May 2008 07:19:15 +0000 http://catherinelim.sg/2007/04/05/ministerial-pay-be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/#comment-400 <p>You have masterfully pointed out the fundamental difference between ministerial office and leadership in the private sector. And I couldn't agree more with the remark that "to offer [a minister] a matching salary [to that of a CEO] to enable him to stay would be to demean that office".</p> <p>Looking back at the issue a year later I still find self-interest as something that's hard to explain away.</p> You have masterfully pointed out the fundamental difference between ministerial office and leadership in the private sector. And I couldn’t agree more with the remark that “to offer [a minister] a matching salary [to that of a CEO] to enable him to stay would be to demean that office”.

Looking back at the issue a year later I still find self-interest as something that’s hard to explain away.

]]> By: yueqing http://catherinelim.sg/2007/04/05/ministerial-pay-be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/comment-page-1/#comment-69 yueqing Sun, 11 Nov 2007 12:32:36 +0000 http://catherinelim.sg/2007/04/05/ministerial-pay-be-mindful-of-the-affective-gap/#comment-69 <p>I agree. To make money the important determinant of attraction to be a minister, the other qualities needed like passion to improve society are deemphasized(sorry for lack of a better word). I think this will discourage and disgust some people who do not tie money so tightly to public service, to shy away from entering the political arena. On a similar thread of Catherine's article, I feel increasing the minister's salary totally teaches the young the wrong values- money is used to attract and keep ministers in the public sector. Shouldn't "emphasizing the desire to benefit society" be a better value to use as an attraction, than money?, and help to attract the right kind of people? And it's not that I want ministers to be paid peanuts, but using money as a main motivator is just something that disappoints me.</p> I agree. To make money the important determinant of attraction to be a minister, the other qualities needed like passion to improve society are deemphasized(sorry for lack of a better word). I think this will discourage and disgust some people who do not tie money so tightly to public service, to shy away from entering the political arena. On a similar thread of Catherine’s article, I feel increasing the minister’s salary totally teaches the young the wrong values- money is used to attract and keep ministers in the public sector. Shouldn’t “emphasizing the desire to benefit society” be a better value to use as an attraction, than money?, and help to attract the right kind of people? And it’s not that I want ministers to be paid peanuts, but using money as a main motivator is just something that disappoints me.

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