After being appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s new Cabinet line-up, Workers’ Party (WP) Chief Pritam Singh announced his intent to donate half of his salary.
In a Facebook post, Mr Pritam wrote: “It is an honour for me to serve as an elected MP in Singapore. Equally, it is a privilege to be appointed as the Leader of the Opposition”.
“After putting the girls to bed, my wife and I knew there were some things we wanted to talk about arising from the LO appointment. Amongst other things, we spoke about what the salary increase would mean for our family. Both of us felt strongly that a percentage of the salary should be used for a greater purpose”, he added.
Mr Pritam, in his Facebook post on Tuesday (Jul 29), announced his intent to use “50% of the LO salary, after taxes” for various purposes.
He added that he planned to use the money for the following:
1. To assist low-income residents in Hougang SMC, Aljunied GRC and Sengkang GRC through the Workers’ Party Community Fund (WPCF) and/or the WP Grassroots Committee; or
2. Community programs in Hougang SMC, Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC; or
3. Charitable or worthy causes; or
4. Workers’ Party specific needs.
“The LO appointment carries with it many additional responsibilities that I will have to shoulder. The road ahead will not be easy but I thank Singaporeans for their support and encouragement”, Mr Pritam wrote.
His post garnered 16,000 likes and over 1,500 comments.
/TISG