On his own request, Malaysian PM Anwar serves the country without salary—Singapore PM enjoys 60% pay increment
Singapore's government says it will raise the annual salaries of its ministers and other office holders, including its prime minister who is the highest paid political leader in the world. BBC reported yesterday, Encik Lawrence Wong will see an increase of 1.4 million Singapore dollars (US$1.1m; UK£818,000 and Malaysian Ringgit 4.5 million) in his annual pay package. He has said he will donate this pay increase to charity over the next five years. Wong said that raising the pay of ministers was necessary to attract better talent. The government has previously argued that paying ministers high salaries deters corruption. But the move has attracted criticism in Singapore where there is deep concern about job security and the rising cost of living. Even before his pay raise kicks in, Wong is still by far the highest paid world leader. He currently receives an annual salary of S$2.2m (Malaysian Ringgit 7 million) and will now see his pay go up by more than 60% to S$3.6m (USD$2.8m, Ma...