I don’t draw a ministerial salary, and I’ve no plans to do a Mahathir: ESM Goh

SINGAPORE — Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong on Tuesday (Sept 18) sought to "debunk public perception" by making clear that he is not drawing a ministerial salary, and he is merely holding a title "with no pay".

Adding that he has been working "for Singapore in various capacities" since retiring from Cabinet in 2011, Mr Goh also stressed that he has "no plans to do a Mahathir" — in reference to Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who staged a political comeback at 92 years old by leading the opposition to victory in the May polls.

Mr Goh's latest comments came a month after he said at his Marine Parade constituency's National Day dinner that he will "be watching" if the fifth-generation leaders "do not go a good job".

Then, Mr Goh noted Dr Mahathir's feat, and said some have suggested that he could do the same. "They even proposed (former People's Action Party's Member of Parliament) Tan Cheng Bock to be my Anwar Ibrahim," he said. "(Dr Mahathir) made his comeback at the age of 92. I am only 77. I can wait 15 years."

While he noted that it is "an occupational habit of former prime ministers" to be concerned about their country's future, Mr Goh pointed out that Singapore does not need a former prime minister to come to its rescue.

On Tuesday, he said that he has been using his "stature to help raise awareness and funds for different groups of disadvantaged Singaporeans".

Alluding to the late founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's famous words, Mr Goh said: "Instead of threatening to get up from my grave when things go wrong, I prefer to contribute while still alive, but without getting in the way of the younger leaders. Moreover, I have no plans to do a Mahathir!"

Last month, Mr Goh's remarks on ministerial pay sparked a debate after the matter was raised at a community dialogue session.

He said then that ministers in political office are "not paid enough", after a participant suggested that ministers' salaries or the national defence budget be cut to fund support for senior citizens.

In his Facebook post on Tuesday, he noted that the government website, Factually, has debunked online falsehoods on the salaries of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and other ministers.

The site had said that several websites and social media pages have "jumped on the issue" of ministerial salaries in recent weeks. A falsehood that has been circulating is that the Government is not upfront about how ministerial salaries are calculated. However, the pay components are set out in a White Paper, which was tabled in Parliament in 2012.

Another falsehood, the website said, is that PM Lee is being paid S$2.2 million a year as a base salary, excluding bonuses, and that his total salary is S$4.5 million.

The website clarified: "The prime minister's norm salary is set at two times that of an MR4 (entry-level) minister. His S$2.2 million annual salary includes bonuses. The prime minister does not receive a performance bonus as there is no one to assess his performance annually. He does receive the national bonus."