据报道，新加坡内阁总理和各部长将在明年年底前大幅加薪。届时，总理李显龙将成为世界上收入最高的政府首脑之一，其年薪会增至310万新加坡元（约合205万美元），这是美国总统布什年薪的5倍，日本首相安倍晋三年薪的7倍。同时，新加坡部长们的年薪将在2008年年底前分两次增加，总涨幅为60％。

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. [Reuters/file]

Singapore's prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, will earn five times more than US President George Bush this year after a pay rise yesterday boosted hisannual salaryto S$3.1 million ($2.1 million). 

A minister told parliament yesterday that other Singapore government ministers - who are already among the best paid in the world - will also see their salaries jump by about 60 percent to an average of S$1.9 million ($1.26 million).

"For the public service to remain an attractive employer, our terms must keep pace with theprivate sector," Defense Minister Teo Chee Hean, who is also minister in charge of the civil service, said in parliament.

The ministerial salary increase - which will take effect in two steps by the end of next year - is slightly smaller than the government had originally proposed.

Lee said last month the salaries of ministers and top civil servants might have to rise by as much as S$1 million ($660,000) to S$2.2 million ($1.45 million) because they had fallen way below benchmark top salaries in the private sector.

Lee's announcement sparked an outcry, with hundreds of Singaporeans signing anonline petitionand writing to newspapers to protest against the move.

Some Singaporeans said the ministerial salaries did not reflect the country's economy or the government's performance, adding that the government was tactless to raise ministers' salaries now given Singapore's widening income gap.

Since 1994, the salaries of Singapore ministers have been set at two thirds of the median pay of the 48 best-paid bankers, lawyers, accountants, engineers and executives in multinationals and manufacturing firms.

Under the wage revision, thebonusesthat Singapore ministers receive will depend on their performance, to be assessed by Lee, and the rate of Singapore's economic growth, Teo said.

He said ministers can get a maximum "gross domestic product bonus" of four months worth of salary if the Singapore economy grows by 8 percent or more.

（Agencies） 

Vocabulary:    

annual salary: 年薪

private sector: 私营企业

online petition:网上请愿书

bonus: 奖金

（英语点津陈蓓编辑）