Kuala Lumpur, April 26:

Singapore’s decision to give hefty pay rises to ministers is a test case on keeping corruption at bay in a region where it is rampant, the Commonwealth’s chief said today.

Don McKinnon, secretary-general of the group representing Britain and its 52 current and former territories, said it was premature to say if Singapore’s new public compensation model could help Asia shake off its corruption problems.

“It’s a very interesting way of doing things because in many parts of the world, people keep the salaries of parliamentarians and ministers down to show a degree of frugality,” he said. “But Singapore is saying no, no, we believe we need these people.”