In his swearing-in speech on 21 May 2011 after the General Election, the Prime Minister acknowledged that Singaporeans had genuine concerns over the present salaries of their leaders. At the same time, Ministers should be paid properly so that Singapore will have capable and committed leadership over the long term. Thus, the Prime Minister appointed a committee chaired by Mr Gerard Ee to review the basis and level of salaries for the President, Prime Minister, political appointment holders and Members of Parliaments to ensure that the salary framework will remain relevant for the future. The Committee completed its review and submitted its report to the Prime Minister on 30 December 2011. The Government considered the report carefully and agreed with the key principles and approach adopted by the Committee. The report was converted into a White Paper, “Salaries for A Capable and Committed Government”. Parliament endorsed the White Paper after three days of debate from 16 to 18 January 2012. As committed by the Prime Minister in his swearing-in speech, the revised salaries took effect from 21 May 2011.
In 2017, the Prime Minister formed a new independent Committee to review the salary framework to ensure that it remained appropriate and valid. The 2017 Committee affirmed that the current salary framework remains relevant.
