‘None was prepared to make the move’: PM Wong cites hurdles in attracting private-sector leaders to politics

Attracting experienced private-sector leaders into politics is becoming increasingly difficult amid a range of competing considerations, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in Parliament on Tuesday (Sep 8).PM Wong said that before the last General Election he had spoken to several CEOs and other senior business leaders whom he believed could contribute to the political team. “They were earning several times a minister’s salary. None said to me directly that pay was the reason they would not join (nor) would I want someone whose decision turned mainly on money,” he said. While PM Wong highlighted that remuneration remains a factor, he said potential candidates would be giving up careers they had spent years building, taking a substantial reduction in income and contesting an election with no certainty of success. “In the end, none of those I approached was prepared to make the move,” PM Wong said. He also acknowledged that the sacrifices involved in entering politics extend beyond finances.