SINGAPORE, April 11 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will donate the increase of his salary to charity over the next five years.

    He made the announcement on Wednesday in parliament, as the House continued debate on the latest pay hikes for top government officials, according to local television Channel NewsAsia reports.

    Lee said he decided to hold his own salary at its current level during this period, while it's necessary to revise ministers' salaries to keep them competitive.

    "To make it quite clear why I'm doing this and also to give me the moral standing to defend this policy with Singaporeans, I will hold my salary at the present level for five years," he said.

    He added, "The government will pay me my full salary because that is the way the system will have to work. But for five years, whatever the increase in salary above the present level, I will donate to suitable good causes."

    But he said he did not expect other ministers to follow.

    He reiterated that the issue was not just about salaries of ministers and civil servants, it was about Singapore's future, how it can produce the best government to secure a bright future for the people.

    With the salary revisions announced on Monday, the prime minister's annual salary will go up from 2.5 million Singapore dollars (about 1.6 million U.S. dollars) to 3.1 million Singapore dollars (about 2 million U.S. dollars).

    While ministers' annual salaries will rise from the current 1.2million Singapore dollars (about 790,000 U.S. dollars) to 1.6 million dollars (about 1.1 million U.S. dollars) by the end of this year.