MAX KIM2026年9月10日For a city-state with neither abundant natural resources nor a large population, the key to prosperity was ensuring things just worked, said Lee Kuan Yew, the founding father of modern Singapore.现代新加坡的国父李光耀曾说，对于一个既没有丰富自然资源也没有庞大人口的城市国家而言，繁荣的关键在于确保一切正常运转。And keeping the country running smoothly, from its seaports and airports to financial services, were strict and unbendable rules, enforced by a phalanx of well-paid public servants.而让这个国家平稳运行——从海港和机场到金融服务——依靠的是严格且不可变通的规则，由一群薪酬优厚的公务员执行。The idea was reaffirmed on Tuesday, as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced ministerial wage increases that will bump his annual salary by 64 percent to $3.6 million Singapore dollars ($2.85 million).这一理念在周二得到重申。总理黄循财宣布部长级官员加薪，其本人的年薪将提高64%，达到360万新加坡元（约合人民币1910万元）。The move was part of a broader hike to cabinet ministers’ pay in Singapore, which has long had the highest political salaries in the world.此举是新加坡内阁部长薪酬整体上调的一部分。新加坡长期以来一直是全球政治人物薪酬最高的国家。Junior ministers’ salaries will jump from the equivalent of $870,000 to as much as $1.4 million.初级部长的薪酬将从相当于87万美元（约合人民币580万元）跃升至最高140万美元（约合人民币934万元）。In a statement delivered to the country’s Parliament, Mr. Wong said that political salaries had been stagnant for 15 years, and that it was becoming harder to recruit top talent from the private sector at a time when the country needed to furnish the next generation of leaders.黄循财在向国会发表的声明中表示，政治人物薪酬已停滞15年，在国家需要培养下一代领导人之际，从私营部门招聘顶尖人才已变得越来越困难。“We recognize that highly able people have alternatives outside politics,” he said. “So we pay political officeholders salaries that are competitive, but with a substantial discount to reflect political service.”“我们认识到，能力出众的人在政坛之外另有选择，”他说。“因此，我们向担任政治职务者支付具有竞争力的薪酬，但也会以大幅折扣来体现政治服务的性质。”Singapore has been governed by Mr. Lee’s People’s Action Party since 1959. Its leaders have long argued that high wages for officials were a deterrent against corruption, as well as a way to attract competitive candidates who might otherwise take high-paying jobs at private companies.新加坡自1959年以来一直由李光耀创建的人民行动党执政。该党领导人长期以来主张，官员的高薪既是对腐败的抑制，也是吸引有竞争力候选人的一种方式——否则这些人可能会在私营企业从事高薪工作。In 1985, Mr. Lee famously said: “I’m one of the best paid and probably one of the poorest of the Third World prime ministers. You abandon this for hypocrisy, you’ll end up with duplicity and corruption. Take your choice.”1985年，李光耀曾有过一段著名的表述：“我是第三世界国家总理中薪酬最高但可能也是最穷的之一。如果你出于虚伪的目的放弃这一点，最终会得到欺骗和腐败。你自己选。”Today, Singapore is one of the world’s richest countries per capita, a thriving financial hub and, thanks to its ports, a maritime giant.如今，新加坡是世界上人均最富有的国家之一，是一个繁荣的金融中心，并且凭借其港口成为海运重镇。Even before the latest raise, the prime minister of Singapore was already the highest-paid public servant in the world, far out-earning the president of the United States, whose annual salary is $400,000 and was last increased a quarter-century ago.即便在此次加薪之前，新加坡总理就已经是世界上薪酬最高的公职人员，远远超过美国总统——后者的年薪为40万美元，上一次加薪还是在25年前。Though Singapore has consistently been ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world — with the 2024 trial of a former transport minister marking the first major corruption case in 50 years — the ministerial wage policy has also faced criticism.尽管新加坡一直被列为世界上最清廉的国家之一——2024年对一名前交通部长的审判标志着50年来首起重大腐败案件——但部长薪酬政策也一直面临批评。In 2012, cabinet salaries were slashed by around 36 percent amid accusations that high ministerial wages, which are pegged to the median annual income of Singapore’s top 1,000 earners, made the country’s leaders out of touch with the realities of ordinary citizens.2012年，内阁薪酬被削减了约36%，原因是有人指责，与新加坡收入最高的1000人中位年收入挂钩的部长高薪使国家领导人与普通民众的现实脱节。In his comments on Tuesday, Mr. Wong appeared to brace for such criticism. “Political salaries are a difficult and emotive issue,” he said. “The sums involved are more than what most citizens earn. So I understand why Singaporeans scrutinize them closely, and why many feel strongly about the matter.”黄循财在周二的讲话中似乎做好了面对此类批评的准备。“政治薪酬是一个困难且容易引发情绪的问题，”他说。“涉及的金额高于大多数公民的收入。所以我理解为什么新加坡人对此密切关注，也理解为什么许多人对这件事反应强烈。”While the economy is performing well, many Singaporeans still say they feel anxious about the high cost of living.尽管经济表现良好，许多新加坡人仍然表示对高昂的生活成本感到焦虑。On Tuesday, Mr. Wong said that, in light of his role in the salary adjustments, he would donate the full increase in his salary to charitable causes.黄循财周二表示，鉴于他在薪酬调整中的角色，他将把自己薪酬的全部增幅捐给慈善事业。“This is my own decision,” he said. “I do not expect other officeholders to do the same.”“这是我个人的决定，”他说。“我不期望其他担任公职者也这样做。”翻译：纽约时报中文网点击查看本文英文版。