Many people read about Yeo Guat Kwang and his 64 jobs. But hardly anyone knows how much he makes out of these jobs. The following is a letter written by Yeo Guat Kwang talking about this matter.
Letter From Yeo Guat Kwang Replying to Alternative Medias
Dear Editor,
I read with interest the article “Yeo Guat Kwang – PAP MP with 64 other jobs” published on your website.
I would like to clarify the points made in this article, which I feel do not fairly reflect my current duties as a Member of Parliament and have been taken out of context.
I have three main duties; As the Director for Quality Work-life and All Nationalities at NTUC which champions Workplace Health and Workers’ Safety and Fair Treatment for all workers including migrant workers, as a Member of Parliament for Ang Mo Kio GRC; and an honorary duty as the Elected President for Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).
My other affiliations listed on both the Parliament website and your article are memberships and advisory roles. I wish to clarify that apart from my job as NTUC director and as Independent Director to the few companies stated. I do not receive remuneration for these other roles.
I see these roles as affiliations which help me to improve my understanding of the ground, in the context of my duties as either an MP, CASE President or NTUC Director. These are platforms that help me to reach out to and serve people from all walks of lives.
For instance, it is part of my MP duties to sit on two GPCs; As a labour MP, I am supposed to play an advisory role to several unions, and this in turn give me opportunities to be with the workers at the ground. Same as these, as part of my duties as CASE president, I was invited to advisory position of the respective trade associations. I undertake these duties pro-bono.
I also participate actively in what may seem like many committee memberships. These may be standing or ad-hoc committees that were convened for specific purposes. Some of these committees have since adjourned because the project is completed.
For my advisory positions in VWOs, I was invited to sit on their board in my personal capacity and I undertake these meaningful roles on a pro bono basis too. In this capacity, I have helped these VWOs raise funds and grow. I see this as an important way for me to further strengthen my role in serving the community and Singaporean.
I wish to emphasise that the many roles listed in the article should not be taken out of context. They represent my affiliations and networks and are episodic in nature. I am fully committed to my duties as an MP, as a union leader and as a consumer advocate. I believe that these affiliations and networks should be seen as my attempts to connect with the many good people and organisations that have and are doing their part to better the lives of Singaporeans. I think of it as a large network of family and friends, with whom I have connections with and with whom we share mutual resources, advice and support.
I thank you for publishing this response on your website as a sign of good faith. I would like to invite the Temasek Review editors, writers and readers to join me at my Meet the People Session or social events to see for themselves the work I and my team do on the ground.
Yours Sincerely,
Yeo Guat Kwang
