The argument that a pay rise is necessary to attract people to the public sector sounds problematic. This shows that there is something wrong with Singaporeans’ values – we are materialistic and we only work in places that can pay us. What is our pay likely to be? If we demand for high pay, it means we want to upkeep a luxurious lifestyle. It can be that the cost to upkeep a family will run to millions of dollars – families are still able to get by with modest salaries through minimal spending.

Have there been considerations for working conditions? The job environment is a consequential factor in mapping a career path. It depends very much on the personality of the worker. Does he/she seek more transparency and flexibility? What kinds of privileges does he/she expect in return? How great is the support of the employer for the worker’s endeavours? If the job experience is unfulfilling, the worker will probably not resist the monetary rewards to be repeated from the job. We have heard of people who quit their well-paying jobs for something else that they prefer and show zest in, haven’t we? Money is not everything. If the working climate in the civil service is apt and appealing, I am sure the public sector will be equally as competitive on the job market as the private sector.

With regards to the way the intentions for pay-rise have been announced and the backlash it is handling, it shows a lack of empathy for the public. It has not done well to promote the party as a “people’s party” as its name stands. With increasing affluence the party seems to have forgotten the cause of its existence and that historically its achievements sought to help a wide range of society as much as possible. Recall that the PAP reached out to the Chinese-educated where the British and the local English-educated political group neglected them and even made moves to marginalise them. It is crucial to be sensitive about timing, and to be transparent and ready to admit mistakes, rather than aggressively defend itself against increasing public outcry, which seems to suggest: “I want it my way, don’t you dare take it from me!”