In Singapore, Minister Tan See Leng says money was not his motive for entering politics
In Singapore, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng said during parliamentary debates on the salaries of political office holders that he would not have entered politics if money had been his main motivation. He said he left the private sector because he felt the need to give back to the country and the people who, he said, had given him much.
As Channel NewsAsia reports, 61-year-old Tan See Leng worked as a doctor and spent more than three decades in the private sector before entering politics in 2020. He previously founded Healthway Medical Group and also headed Parkway Pantai and IHH HealthCare Berhad.
Salary debate
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on September 8 that the salaries of political office holders in Singapore would increase by up to 9%. This is the first change in ministerial salaries since 2011.
Tan See Leng noted that moving into public service requires significant personal changes not only from the office holders themselves but also from their families. Among the sacrifices, he named time, future opportunities, personal goals, privacy and financial remuneration. According to him, for some people, the overall personal cost of such a decision may prove too high.
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The minister stressed that no realistic level of ministerial salary could match his income before joining the government or his potential earnings had he remained in the private sector.
Attracting candidates
Tan See Leng also said that he sometimes wondered whether he could have done more for the country had he entered politics earlier — at 40 rather than 50. In his view, it is difficult for young professionals and executives to give up careers they have built over many years. As an example, he mentioned a middle manager who is rapidly moving up the career ladder while supporting elderly parents and raising children.
He stressed that public service should not be motivated by financial gain and that the purpose of the pay system is not to compensate for all potential income in the private sector. In his view, the key question is whether Singapore can attract capable, upright and experienced people into politics at the height of their professional careers.
