A tale of two salaries

The Rhetoric

“This stingy government of ours is paying me only RM16,000 a month to do two jobs.”
– Malaysia’s Prime Minister and Finance Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Straits Times, 25 Nov, 2002

“A million dollars for a minister seems a lot when compared with the salary of a worker. But $34 million for all the ministers and political office-holders is a tiny drop compared with the increase in GDP that a good government can produce.”
– PM Goh Chok Tong, Straits Times, July 1, 2000

The Reality

“Malaysia’s economy expanded by by 5.6 per cent in the third quarter.”
– Straits Times, Nov 28, 2002

“Singapore may face its second recession in two years.”
– Straits Times, Nov 19, 2002