Relooking at why high pay doesn't attract (the right) talent

I have posted the recent high profile cases on the CPIB probe as example why high pay does not necessarily mean it can stop corruption. In this post, I will discuss why dangling these material carrots may not even attract the right talent. But before that, let's look at the latest development in the two separate but not so separate cases so far.

CPIB probe: Woman IT exec involved with both men

The 36-year-old woman is assisting the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in the cases involving the former chiefs of the SCDF and CNB, Mr Peter Lim Sin Pang (left) and Mr Ng Boon Gay (right). -- PHOTOS: SCDF, CHEW KOK WEI

A married IT executive is believed to have had sex with two top-ranking public officers being investigated under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The 36-year-old woman is assisting the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) in the cases involving the former chiefs of the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), Mr Peter Lim Sin Pang and Mr Ng Boon Gay.

Sources told The Straits Times that the two men had been unaware that she had been intimate with both of them. Both officers are married. In Mr Ng's case, he had known the woman for over three years and they are believed to have been close since early 2009.

Ah, so it isn't just about money. It's about a woman as well. Now how are you going to address that?

Such scandals are not new or unique. It happens in many places to many high office holders too. Even Bill Clinton, then President of the US, fell for women. Headline news splashed about it all over the place.

So how are we going to prevent sex scandals from occurring in high offices? If one were to argue that high pay is to prevent corruption, can we by the same argument say providing women (or men, if the office holder is a woman or a gay) to high office holders would prevent sex scandals outside office?

Huh? Do I hear my critics moan? You think that's absurd? But you bought the idea that high pay prevents corruption, didn't you?

On the other hand, if you don't buy the argument that providing women (or men) to high office holders would stop them from being scandalous outside office, what makes you think paying them filthy high wages would stop them from being corrupted, if they already not are closet corrupts?


But providing women (or men) itself is scandalous! -

Spot on! At least you have the sense to realise that! Now admit that dishing out filthy high pay to high officials is also a scandal in itself. Why are you so unwilling to do it?

Critics may say that the main flaw with this analogy is that people work for money and not for women. I agree.

My point about providing high officials with women (or men) is to show you that if a person is a closet corrupt or a closet sexually scandalous person, he or she would fall for that sin anyway, high pay or low pay, with women supplied or no women supplied.

My point is that paying high does not eradicate corruption, the way providing women won't eradicate scandals and the scandalous high official from seeking more women than he's supplied with.

What does stop corruption and scandal has to come from inside the high office holder himself or herself- ie his/her moral values in him/her.

But critics to my idea would say it is a tall order to find such people. My answer is that you are insulting humankind. Just because there are people who are closet corrupts or sexually scandalous, doesn't mean that people with high morals don't exist.


Real life examples of politicians driven by non-monetary incentives -

If we look at the first generation of PAP politicians, they were not driven by money. They were driven by passion and belief. A belief that Singapore has to survive.

On the opposite side, we had the Leftists. They too worked hard and needed no money to drive them.

All over the world, we see this. Hamas worked hard against the anti-Palestine lobby and got elected into office democratically. Did they have money as the driving force? If money is in it for Hamas officials, they would have been Israel's and/or America's stooges who keep selling out their own people.

Likewise, in view of the Arab Spring the last year or so, we have seen how many politicians keep coming in to seek office to replace the highly paid corrupted officials sponsored by America. These newly elected officials (mainly from the Muslim Brotherhood) are not driven by money.

So what drives this people if not money? Passion. That's right. Passion, belief in what they are doing, and even their love for their religion.


Passion and Belief the biggest motivator -

It is passion and belief that will conquer mountains. It does not just occur among politicians. It occurs everywhere. Even the simple guy on the street who wants to live.

A good example that still exists today is the will of the Palestinians to live. For more than 40 years of Israeli oppression and massacre, the Palestinians are not giving up. It was on the agenda of many Israeli PMs (and it still is) in the past to remove Palestinians from their homes. Yet time and time again, in spite of the fact Israel has the most sophisticated weapons in the Mid East, the Palestinians fight back to get back their land. The Palestinians needed no money to fight back, did they?

How many Singaporeans are willing to fight a war to defend our land the way Palestinians did the last more than forty years?


Moral beliefs comes from inside unlike monetary incentives -

Let's not talk about being one people, one nation. Let's just talk about a simple belief that is related to the CPIB case and other high office scandalous cases. The belief we want to have in us is that we must have a high moral standard - ie no corruption including buying sexual favours. So how do we get that embedded in us and in our future generations?

Isn't it all back to teaching moral ethics right from very young? Again, critics will say that is just a Utopian Dream. My counter argument is that high pay never really worked at all. But at least, there's a history and real life cases where moral ethics and beliefs have worked. Moral ethics and beliefs have worked for the first generation PAP leaders.

We also saw how it worked for the Leftists in Singapore in the 1960s. We see how it worked for Hamas officials. Now we are seeing how it works for many newly elected Islamic politicians as the result of the Arab Spring.

Ironically, what has prevented them or still preventing these non corrupt officials from carrying out their goals is/was the current ruling govt of the day! Yes, the very govt that is in control in first place. Aren't these govts that are in control now using their big funds to oppress these upcoming uncorrupt officials?

Ah, again, the practice and belief that money is the one that controls everything.


Final Word -

One final criticism I see coming from my critics is this - where are we going to get people with passion and belief to serve high office?

Here's my reply. The current govt should let go of their desire to control everything in their desire to hold onto power. Stop harassing dissenters with ISA, threats and other disincentives. Those with the talent, desire and moral beliefs will come naturally after that.