Singapore: World’s Highest-Paid PM Pledges to Donate Salary Raise

Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, the world’s highest-paid political leader, has pledged to donate his upcoming annual salary increase of S$1.4 million to charity for the next five years. Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Wong said the government would continue paying him according to the set framework, but he would donate the additional amount to worthy causes. His total annual compensation, including bonuses, will rise from S$2.2 million to S$3.6 million. The pay hike is part of a broader increase for Singapore’s political office holders, including ministers — an entry-level minister’s base salary will rise from S$1.1 million to S$1.8 million.
Wong said he would review his decision after five years, based on the circumstances at the time, and stressed it was not an open-ended commitment, nor did he want to set an expectation that future prime ministers would feel obliged to follow suit. His predecessor, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, made a similar pledge in 2007, donating his salary increase for five years. At the time, Lee’s annual salary as PM rose from S$2.5 million to S$3.1 million, before being reduced to S$2.2 million in 2012.