The government has accepted the recommendations by an independent committee to adjust political salaries.

The proposed adjustments will not be immediately implemented in one step.

More details will be touched on by Minister for Defence and Coordinating Minister for Public Services Chan Chun Sing later on in parliament today on Sep. 8.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will be donating the full increase in his salary for the next five years following the adjustment of political salaries.

During his ministerial statement on the government’s response to the 2026 review of salaries for Political Appointment Holders (POH) and Members of Parliament (MPs), PM Wong shared that he will be donating his increase to “suitable good causes.”

This is on the assumption that he remains prime minister during this period.

PM Wong emphasised that this is his “own decision” and that he does not expect other officeholders to do the same.

“As a general rule, I do not believe in making a public show of charitable giving,” he said, adding that while the salary framework is a cabinet decision, he carries “ultimate responsibility” for it as the PM.

PM Wong said he will review the position afresh at the end of the five years, taking into account the circumstances at that time.

“I fully expect to continue supporting good causes, as I have always done. But I do not want to make an open-ended public commitment, or to create an expectation that future Prime Ministers may feel obliged to follow,” he said.

Setting the context

PM Wong also acknowledged that political salaries are a “difficult and emotive issue”, adding that the sums involved are “more than what most citizens earn”.

“So I understand why Singaporeans scrutinise them closely, and why many feel strongly about the issue. It is certainly not an issue ministers themselves find easy to discuss,” he said.

He said the government has “repeatedly exercised restraint” in making any salary adjustments under the framework established after an independent committee review in 2012.

A subsequent committee was convened in 2017 to review the 2012 framework, which recommended an upward adjustment.

The government nevertheless decided not to adjust political salaries at that time.

In 2023, the Government also decided to defer the scheduled review of the framework, citing the uncertain external environment and downside risks to the global economy at the time.

As a result, the salary norms for political officeholders have remained unchanged for 15 years, PM Wong noted.

Ministerial salaries fallen behind

Over the same period, however, salaries in other sectors have increased, PM Wong said, including in the private sector, civil service and judiciary.

Ministerial salaries have therefore fallen further behind, he said, adding that the gap is most obvious when compared with the private sector.

He highlighted that even in the public service, some senior permanent secretaries earn more than ministers.

“It’s not because the framework changed. But because successive Governments have decided, at different points, to hold back,” he said, though he set out that there were good reasons for doing so.

While it would have been “easier politically” for him to leave things as they are, PM Wong said it would not be right to affirm a framework in principle but disregard it indefinitely in practice.

“Otherwise, over time, the framework loses its meaning. Restraint cannot become neglect. That’s why I have decided we must act now,” he said.

Why political leadership matters

In explaining the need for the adjustment, PM Wong first explained that good government depends on good leadership.

“Institutions are only as effective as the people who lead them. Systems and processes matter. But they do not run themselves. Especially at the top, the quality of leadership makes a decisive difference,” he said.

Character was foremost in importance, "a veto factor", but that alone was not enough.

While they look at a person’s character when looking for a minister, they also look for competence, PM Wong said.

This involves the judgment, ability and leadership to do the job well, he said.

This is where remuneration becomes relevant, PM Wong said, explaining that while it does not determine who is capable, it does affect whether “enough capable people are prepared to step forward and take on the responsibility”.

Some may think that being a minister is “straightforward”, as they can just go along with the “popular view”, he noted.

However, Singapore has less room than most countries to govern in this way, PM Wong emphasised, pointing to our size and few natural advantages.

For example, the reset of family policies he announced at the National Day Rally was done with the work of civil servants but also Indranee Rajah (who chairs the inter-agency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup) and other political officeholders, he said.

This includes deciding where support would make the greatest difference, how the costs should be shared between parents, employers and government, and how the different measures should fit together.

The job of a minister is not simply to do what is popular today but to make judgments about what will leave Singapore in a stronger position tomorrow, he said.

“That requires mastery of the issues, a clear sense of priorities, and the willingness to take difficult decisions,” he said.

Difficulty in making leadership renewal

PM Wong shared that following his succession as PM in 2024, leadership renewal became one of his highest priorities.

“Leadership succession cannot be planned like clockwork. People and circumstances change. Unexpected events happen. So we need strength across the team, and we need to begin renewal early,” he said.

Ahead of the last General Election in 2025, PM Wong said he approached several senior permanent secretaries whom he thought had the temperament and potential for political leadership.

However, none was prepared to make the move, he said.

Recruiting from the public service is becoming harder, PM Wong said, explaining that senior civil servants today have meaningful careers, substantial responsibilities and competitive remuneration.

"If the gap between public service and political salaries continues to widen, that hurdle will become higher," he said.

The answer was the same when he approached those in the private sector, including several CEOs and other senior business leaders.

While they were earning several times a minister’s salary, none said to him directly that pay was the reason they would not join, PM Wong shared.

“Nor would I want someone whose decision turned mainly on money,” he said.

However, this does not mean remuneration is irrelevant, he said, explaining that they have spent years building a successful career, and they would have to take a substantial reduction in income if they were to join.

He also noted that the sacrifice is not only financial, as the political life places real demands on the families of the politicians, including time and scrutiny of private lives

“The purpose of remuneration is much more modest: to ensure that, on top of all these other sacrifices, we do not make the financial hurdle unnecessarily high,” he said.

A woman was recently seen causing a disturbance at Liang Seah Street in Bugis and allegedly harassed nearly 20 restaurants along the single-lane stretch on more than one occasion.

She was also apparently seen talking to herself and cursing at random people in public at some points.

She also allegedly said she is "God".

The police were called to the scene at least once, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Restaurant staff know of her

Restaurant staff said the woman was seen in the area in mid-August

One restaurant staff said she heard the woman exclaim at one point: "The sun is out, I am God."

The woman even patronised the restaurant thrice.

The first two occasions went smoothly, but the third time she ordered two dishes, ate very little, and left.

When she returned, she asked the restaurant to remake the two dishes and refused to pay, saying that she had not eaten lunch.

The staff added: “She seemed a bit mentally unstable, so we called the police. When the police arrived, they warned her not to come back. She paid the bill and then ran away.”

Others encountered her before

Her antics were also noted by others.

An employee at another restaurant said the woman once had a little beer left, and suddenly she collapsed and smashed the glass, which startled the other customers.

A crayfish restaurant staff said the woman had apparently also thrown a chair in the restaurant and scratched a parked car.

The staff added: "She would pay when she came to eat, but she would just talk to herself and yell at people, so we could only avoid serving her."

Disruptive to business

The restaurant staffers found the woman's antics disruptive.

Another staff said: "She wasn't aggressive, she just cursed at people randomly, but we were also afraid that it would affect our business."

The woman was also once spotted holding four balloons in her left hand and four in her right hand, wandering around the street.

She apparently also touched the hand of a tourist once, but it happened so fast, nothing else came out of it.

The man who was touched apparently looked puzzled.

Stopped a vehicle

Things did come to a head once.

A video circulating online showed that the woman walked in front of a car on Aug. 25 at about 8pm.

She even leaned on the bonnet of the car.

The car driver told Shin Min he could not understand what the woman was saying and was afraid to reverse in case he harmed her.

The woman stopped the car from moving for about 10 seconds and later walked off.

The last time the woman was seen was on Aug. 26, Shin Min reported.

A 29-year-old Singaporean man has been convicted of manslaughter after running over a 48-year-old cyclist with a car while on holiday in Perth, Australia.

Ng Jing Kai was previously charged with murder on May 24, 2024.

He pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of manslaughter in August 2026 and will be sentenced on Nov. 3, The Straits Times reported.

Holiday

According to 9News, on May 24, 2024, Ng was driving a car in Carlisle, Perth, while on holiday with his family and friends.

At about 1:45pm, he ran over the cyclist, causing him to be dragged by the vehicle for more than 30m.

The cyclist sustained serious injuries and was conveyed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and died.

Ng was questioned and charged with one count of murder on the same day.

He has been held in custody, and no bail application was made.

Vigilante

Ng’s actions were alleged to be an act of vigilantism.

Local police also investigated the case as a possible property dispute.

Ng reportedly accused the cyclist of taking items from the car and refusing to return them.

According to local police, several members of Ng’s family and friends were in the vehicle when the incident occurred.

In Perth, the maximum penalty for manslaughter is life imprisonment.

A man, 71, was found dead at the foot of Block 126B Edgedale Plains on Monday afternoon, Sep. 7.

The incident occurred at around 4:05pm.

The police said the man was found lying motionless at the foot of the block and confirmed that he had fallen from height.

Based on preliminary investigations, no foul play is suspected.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A video submitted by a Mothership reader showed a blue tent at the foot of the block partially on the road.

Police officers were at the scene.

Blood stains were seen on the pavement after midnight.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

A 78-year-old retired taxi driver in Singapore has been voluntarily sweeping up dead leaves at an open-air car park in Ang Mo Kio for free over the past eight years.

Lianhe Zaobao reported that Chen Jinhe (transliteration) does this daily.

Two hours each day sweeping

He told Zaobao that he spends more than two hours each day sweeping the car park near Block 533 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, collecting the leaves in cardboard boxes placed under the trees.

He initially started by cleaning the senior citizens' corner at the void deck, but later expanded his duties to the nearby car park after he noticed that it was covered in fallen leaves.

The dead leaves on the dirty ground irked him.

Why he does it

Chen claimed that he enjoys the freedom of his daily routine, having no boss to answer to.

He can choose to sweep whenever he wants, which he told Zaobao was convenient for him as he is only responsible for picking up his grandson.

Taxi driver for 35 years

A former taxi driver, Chen drove a yellow-top cab for 35 years and retired in 2015.

Unlike traditional taxi operators which lease taxis to cabbies, yellow-top cabs were privately owned by drivers.

Chen found the retirement life to be comparatively idle after 35 years on the road.

Street sweeping became an indispensable part of his day.

Trims his own broom

Chen even has preferences for the brooms that he uses, claiming that he has to trim the bristles to the right length and ensuring that they are sufficiently firm.

He purportedly sees it as a good form of activity and exercise, joking that it helped him lose weight and trim his belly.

His family was worried about his exposure to the elements, especially after his skin became increasingly tanned due to time spent under the sun.

Though they warned him that sun exposure could cause skin cancer, he resolutely stuck to his routine, saying that it was healthy for him to do so.

Good deeds, good rewards

Chen's volunteerism did not go unnoticed.

His deeds caught the attention of Ang Mo Kio MP Nadia Ahmad Samdin, who occasionally spots him at the car park and thanks him for his tireless work.

In 2021, he received a community award at the Long Service and Community Awards ceremony in recognition of his contributions.

He told Zaobao, "As long as my health allows it, I will keep on sweeping."

A woman in her sixties who passed away in 2023 was reportedly subjected to alleged pyramid scheme activities and invested S$50,000 after a trip to Nanning, Guangxi, China.

Her son, Zhang (not his real name), 30, is apparently attempting to recover the money invested, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Trip

Zhang told Shin Min that his mother attended gatherings at a recreational club in Singapore.

She apparently met a man who claimed there was an investment opportunity in Nanning and invited her on a five-day trip there.

The man reportedly said that the Chinese government planned to turn Nanning into a developed city with skyscrapers and called it “China’s Southeast Asia”.

The man apparently told her that other trip expenses would be covered and that she would only need to pay for airfare.

Zhang said his mother was interested and decided to go on the trip in 2019.

He also accompanied her.

“We were taken to visit various projects and look at different real estate properties. Every day was packed with activities, and there was a constant barrage of information, leaving you no room to think." Zhang said.

The pair reportedly stayed in a luxury apartment rented by Singaporeans.

During the trip, at least seven Singaporeans apparently gave lectures and shared their experiences regarding the pyramid scheme.

They also purportedly said that if the scheme failed, they would refund them.

Invest

On the last day of the trip, the woman decided to invest S$50,000 into the scheme.

There was apparently a “next of kin” system where, if the investor passed away, their next of kin could inherit the money and continue participating in the scheme.

“My mother believed them without question.” Zhang said.

Zhang claimed that she was usually cautious with money, and he apparently attempted to dissuade her.

However, she was reportedly insistent and became angry with him.

“In the end I gave in and accompanied her to a local bank to make the transfer," Zhang said.

Zhang added that an operator from Shanghai, China, also asked her to recruit others to join the scheme for profit.

However, she could not convince anyone and made no profit.

Passing

After the woman passed, Zhang apparently attempted to recover the money invested.

He purportedly contacted the operator, who sent him a receipt reportedly saying it was enough to prove the woman was a participant in the scheme and that the money was not missing.

However, the operator refused to refund the money.

Zhang said he plans to contact the bank to trace the woman’s transaction history.

Club

The head of the recreation club told Shin Min she received no reports of members being involved in the pyramid scheme.

Lin also said the club only serves as a platform for senior citizens to get together and prohibits any marketing-related activities.

Pyramid scheme

This follows reports of pyramid scheme activities occurring in China.

On Sep. 4, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said that 52 Singaporeans were arrested and detained in Guangxi, following a law enforcement operation against suspected pyramid scheme activities and related offences.

https://mothership.sg/2026/09/singaporeans-arrested-china-pyramid-scheme

Zhang also claimed the trip was “just like in the news”.

He hopes to share his experiences to warn other senior citizens to be vigilant.

A 48-year-old man in Singapore was diagnosed with late stage nose cancer in 2018 and was told he only had 30 days to live.

However, after 37 rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, he has beaten the odds and is running a noodle stall with his wife.

Chen Yongseng was diagnosed with nasopharyngeal carcinoma in 2018.

He now runs Xiao Wen Ban Mian at Block 504 Yishun Street 51.

He previously worked as a maintenance worker in a factory for eight years before his cancer diagnosis.

He told Shin Min Daily News that his sister and mother passed away in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

He said the doctor told him that his grief may have triggered his cancer.

Weight dropped drastically

In June 2018, his weight dropped suddenly and his waistline shrunk from 30 inches to 26 inches.

He went for a medical check-up and received an unusually quick notification the next day: He was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

He said: "The doctor also told me some bad news: I only had about 30 days left to live."

Went for treatment alone

Chen did not tell his family about his illness so as to not make them worry for him.

He faced the harsh treatment alone by taking the train to the hospital to undergo 37 sessions of the intensive treatment.

By the 20th day, he was in so much pain that he could not eat or walk, and needed to be intubated, he said.

But he also said he woke up at 4am to sell tofu pudding while undergoing treatment.

Chen encouraged himself at the time that he has to live on for his father and he must not lose the fight before it even started.

Against the odds, his cancer went into remission after two years of treatment and recovery.

However, he had to endure the after-effects of the treatment.

He is stretching and taking medication daily now, and even borrowed money to open a stall to sell noodles for a living.

Wife chose to be by his side

Even though Chen was diagnosed with cancer, he got married.

He met his wife, Awen, who is Vietnamese, when he was in Vietnam in 2016.

He met her at a roadside food stall.

They maintained a long-distance relationship online for two years.

When Chen revealed that he had cancer, his partner's mother advised her daughter to travel to Singapore.

The future mother-in-law learned that Chen had lost his mother and sister at the time, and prompted her daughter to take care of him and his 90-year-old father.

Chen had a 40 per cent to 60 per cent chance of making a recovery at that point.

Despite that, Awen and Chen registered for marriage on Aug. 3, 2018.

When Chen and Awen solemnised their marriage, he told her she could give up if she regretted it.

But she did not look back.

His wife said: "I am very happy to see him recover."

Opened a stall to make a living

Chen revealed that employers were reluctant to hire him owing to his health.

His wife was the one who taught him how to make noodles.

Chen took out a bank loan and started the noodles stall with his wife.

As there are no subsidies for setting up a stall in a coffee shop, Chen said his monthly rental is S$6,000 and his daily revenue is slightly more than S$300.

He has been operating at a loss for the last two months after he started the stall.

He said he and his wife will take turns to man the stall when the assistant has to take leave at the last minute.

He added that his biggest wish is to move into a hawker centre and ease some of the financial burden with subsidies.

A 15-year-old girl ran to a neighbourhood police centre to file a police report after she was raped by her father.

Her father later went looking for her and spotted her inside the police station, prompting him to realise that she had reported the assault.

He then returned home to change into a pair of jeans before walking back to the police station and surrendering to the authorities.

The 51-year-old man pleaded guilty on Sep. 7 to one charge of rape, one charge of outrage of modesty and one unrelated charge of criminal breach of trust (CBT), according to a report by The Straits Times.

Two other CBT charges and a charge of voyeurism involving photographs he took of the victim's chest will be taken into consideration for sentencing.

Sentencing has been adjourned to Nov. 2.

Abuse began when victim was young

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the victim had lived in the same household as the man since she was five years old.

As she was growing up, her father often got angry at her.

He would scold her and use physical violence on her, including hitting her with a clothes hanger and caning her multiple times over what was described as slight infractions.

The girl was afraid of his temper and believed that such violence from her father was normal.

On the night of Aug. 10, 2024, the man confronted her over the cleanliness of their home.

He became enraged, swept the items on the dining table onto the floor, and told her to go to her room.

He subsequently dismantled the CCTV cameras in the flat before going to bed.

The following morning, the man went to the victim's room to wake her.

When she did not respond, he lifted one end of the blanket covering her and molested and raped her.

The girl was shocked but did not react as she feared that doing so would anger him.

Victim ran to the police station

After the assault, the man went to shower.

The victim then ran to Choa Chu Kang neighbourhood police centre and reported the incident.

When the man realised that she was no longer in the flat, he went looking for her.

He walked past the police centre and saw the girl sitting inside.

He then returned home, changed into jeans and walked back to the police centre, where he surrendered.

He was arrested and taken into custody on Aug. 11, 2024, and has remained in custody since.

Man also embezzled money

The man's CBT charges relate to S$23,000 he misappropriated from his employer between January and June 2023, when he was the company's general manager.

The money had been intended for his employer in connection with event installation works.

The misappropriation came to light following his arrest over the sexual offences in August 2024.

According to ST, the man also has previous convictions for offences including cheating and CBT.

In 2009, he was sentenced to five years of corrective training for moneylending.

The prosecution sought a jail term of between 13 years and eight months and 14 years and nine months, as well as an additional 18 to 24 weeks' imprisonment in lieu of nine to 11 strokes of the cane.

The man cannot be caned because he is above 50 years old.

His lawyer asked the court to impose a sentence of 13 years and five months' jail.

An employee of West Coast Town Council's management agency was charged on Sep. 7 for allegedly taking a S$50,000 bribe from a maintenance firm director.

Ng Yin Hong, a 56-year-old Singaporean, was a senior project manager at EM Services at the time of the supposed offences, according to a press release by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

EM Services is a joint venture between the Housing & Development Board (HDB) and Keppel Land.

In response to Mothership's queries, EM Services said his employment with the company ceased in 2024.

Advancing business interests

In February 2023, Yin Hong allegedly took a S$50,000 bribe from Ng Choon Mong, the director of Atlas Maintenance at the time.

Choon Mong, who was also charged for corruption on Sep. 7, allegedly wanted to advance his firm's business interests in a repairs and redecoration contract with West Coast Town Council.

Besides the corruption charge, Yin Hong was also handed a second charge for using the money he got from the bribe.

He allegedly used S$12,500 of it on family expenses between February and April 2023.

He did not indicate how he would plead, and will have his case heard at court again on Oct. 5.

Choon Mong indicated he would plead not guilty, and will have a pre-trial conference on Oct. 19.

Another case

Last month, another EM Services employee linked to a town council contract was charged for taking bribes.

On Aug. 21, a 63-year-old former senior project manager at EM Services was charged for allegedly taking a total of S$220,000 in bribes separately from the directors of three companies.

They were given as an inducement for proposed contracts with Holland-Bukit Panjang, Sembawang, and Sengkang Town Council.

A retired army officer with the title of Datuk allegedly molested a female golf caddie in Melaka on Aug. 25.

Sin Chew Daily reported that Yahya Hashim, 68, was charged with the use of criminal force with intent to outrage the modesty of the 20-year-old caddie on Sep. 4.

According to Malay Mail, the incident took place at the Tiara Melaka Golf & Country Club in Ayer Keroh.

Yahya pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The deputy public prosecutor proposed that RM5,000 (S$1,565) bail be posted, provided that the accused does not harass the victim. 

In response, Yahya's lawyer, requested that the court reduce the bail amount as the defendant was retired and had no fixed income.

The lawyer also pointed out that Yahya lived with his wife and needed to treat a prostate-related condition.

The magistrate ultimately granted bail of RM2,500 (S$782), under the condition that Yahya not harass the victim before the case has reached a verdict.

Under Malaysian law, he could be jailed for up to 10 years, punished with a fine, be caned, or receive any two of these penalties.

The Datuk honorific is a Malaysian federal title conferred upon individuals of great distinction.