Open season on perks

A little-noted perk for senior finance ministry officials is easy assignments at the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other financial agencies, at rather generous salaries. Sometimes these benefits also percolate to their RWAs (relatives, wives and associates). Post-May, we may witness an exodus to these havens by these privileged persons. But even they may envy the situation in Singapore where the topmost civil servants (and ministers) earn annual salaries close to $1 million. Of course, Singapore civil servants do not vie for such international jobs.