The Prime Minister of the Republic of Singapore is the head of the government of the Republic of Singapore and the country's most powerful political figure. The President of Singapore appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament who, in his or her opinion, is most likely to command the confidence of a majority of MPs. In practice, the Prime Minister is usually the leader of the majority party in the legislature. Under the Constitution of Singapore, executive power is vested in the President. However, the Constitution also vests "general direction and control of the government" in the Cabinet. The President is almost always bound to act on the advice of the Cabinet or any minister acting under Cabinet authority. Thus, in practice, most of the actual work of governing is done by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. The office of Prime Minister dates back to 1959 and was appointed at first by the Governor of Singapore then the Yang di-Pertuan Negara, when Singapore achieved self-governance as the State of Singapore within the British Empire. The title of Prime Minister remained unchanged after the merger with the Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and North Borneo, while Singapore was a state in the Federation of Malaysia from 1963 to 1965, and after independence in 1965. The late Lee Kuan Yew was the first prime minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. Lee was succeeded by Goh Chok Tong and was conferred the title of Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office. Goh Chok Tong retired on 12 August 2004 and was succeeded by Lee Kuan Yew's son Lee Hsien Loong. Goh Chok Tong was appointed Senior Minister, and the elder Lee Minister Mentor. Lee and Goh resigned from the Cabinet in 2011 but remained as members of Parliament. The only former living prime minister is Goh Chok Tong who served from 1990 to 2004. The Prime Minister's annual salary was S$3.07 million before a salary review in 2011. On 21 May 2011, a committee was appointed by the Prime Minister to review the salaries of the Prime Minister as well as the President, political appointment holders, and Members of Parliament. After the recommended wage reductions by the committee were accepted in Parliament, the Prime Minister's salary was reduced by 36% to S$2.2 million. Nonetheless, the Prime Minister of Singapore remains the highest-paid political leader in the world.
List of prime ministers
Allowance
The Prime Minister receives an annual total salary package that is twice the MR4 benchmark, or $2.2m, which represents a reduction of 36% from 2010 levels. As there is no one to decide on the annual performance bonus for the PM, the PM's bonus will be based only on the National Bonus. Pensions for political appointment holders, including the Prime Minister, have been removed with effect from 21 May 2011. The Prime Minister is on the Medisave-cum-Subsidised Outpatient scheme.
Resources
The Istana is the working office of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is also accorded the use of an official car that is subject to tax.
Powers
The Prime Minister is chosen by the President and is usually the leader of the majority party in the legislature. Since independence, this has been the Secretary-General of the People's Action Party. The Prime Minister of Singapore chooses the other members of the Cabinet by advising the President; the President must exercise his or her powers in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister, effectively making the Prime Minister the head of the executive branch. The Prime Minister also, in recent times, can nominate the Speaker of Parliament. The Prime Minister leads the Government in the policy of the day and as the leader of the majority party in Parliament, is responsible for passing legislation through Parliament. The Prime Minister also appoints the Leader of the House, who is responsible for arranging government business and organising the legislative programme in Parliament, usually under the directive of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
