The Price of One Lee Hsien Loong

"No, world leaders like me will NOT resign to join some silly little company
in the private sector, just because we earn less than the average new, inexperienced
PAP minister in Singapore." - Shinzo Abe, Japan's Prime Minister.
Did you know? For the price of one Lee Hsien Loong, we could afford to hire :

(1) one US President;
(2) one UK Prime Minister;
(3) one Japanese Prime Minister; AND
(4) one German Chancellor

AND have about half a million US dollars left over, to give away to charity.

From the International Herald Tribune:

World leader salary comparison
April 9, 2007

According to a government announcement Monday, the prime minister of Singapore will draw an annual salary of slightly more than $2 million starting next year.

A look at how that stacks up:

President George W. Bush: $440,000
Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain: $370,000 (187,000£)
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan: $360,000
Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany: $350,000 (261,500 euros)