Should we pay political leaders more?

Singapore’s prime minister Lawrence Wong will see his salary raised by about US$1.1m, bringing his annual remuneration to US$2.85m. The change is part of a broader pay increase for Singapore’s ministers - the first rise in 15 years.

Singapore’s government has long viewed high salaries as a way to attract top talent and keep corruption at bay.

Lawrence Wong has pledged to donate the increased pay to charity for the next five years, but critics on social media have still branded the move as "tone deaf” amid public concerns about job security and the rising cost of living.

Wong is the highest paid political leader in the world, far surpassing the official salaries of major power leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping or the United States’ Donald Trump.

So is Singapore’s rationale sound - that higher salaries attract better politicians? And how do you even measure "better" for a politician’s performance?

On this episode of Asia Specific, host Mariko Oi is joined by BBC digital reporter Tessa Wong, Nicholas Dickinson from the University of Sheffield, and Kimberly McArthur, co-CEO of Better Politics Foundation.

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