Thanks to the late Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore was built on a philosophy of cleanliness from the streets to politics.
For the latter, Lee, Singapore’s founding father, believed in paying politicians well. The idea was to secure their commitment while protecting MPs from influence peddling by the private sector. Singapore’s current prime minister Lee Hsien Loong — Lee’s son — receives S$2.2mn ($1.6mn) annually, four times what the US president earns. The benchmark level of a minister’s annual income is S$1.1mn, according to government data, much higher than what politicians earn in countries such as the UK.
But their state salary is only part of Singaporean MPs’ income — many have outside roles, including “full-time” executive jobs at companies.