Who requires more ministers? But who cares? - Editorial

Barely three weeks after the appointment of nine Deputy Ministers, again there are reports that the government is making arrangements to appoint another set of Deputy Ministers, this time mostly from the up-country based parties of the United Peoples Freedom Alliance (UPFA). No doubt, this is a slap on the face of the people of the country since even the blindest follower of the ruling UPFA very well knows the necessity of these appointments as well as those made recently and most of the portfolios of the cabinet are near zero.

The rationale behind the appointment of Ministers and Deputy Ministers should be administrative requirements, whereas the need for such appointments here is the satisfying of the greed of those who meekly submit to the leaders of the ruling coalition and defend everything those leaders do, draining the public coffers.

It is no secret as to how these new ministers along with existing portfolio holders are going to be maintained. It was only recently that the authorities heartlessly increased the electricity tariff ignoring the pleas even by the Maha Sanga, and yesterday’s Daily Mirror carried a news item, next to the one about the speculated new appointments of Deputy Ministers, on a bus and train fare increase that is on the cards.

When nine Deputy Ministers were appointed on October 9 there were reports that MP NamalRajapaksa had declined to accept a portfolio and it was depicted as his magnanimity. However, this very refusal clearly indicates those appointments were made not based on requirements, but rather as gifts to those who form the omnipotent two thirds majority.

The portfolios, as happened during the recent appointment of the board of ministers of the Northern Provincial Council, are offered in most cases enabling them to represent the constituent parties of coalitions, and geographical divisions as well as ethnic and religious groups, pushing the merit of the person and the requirement of the country or the region to the backseat. Taxpayers too, foolishly crave for portfolios for their lot, on the basis of party, region or ethnicity, even if the persons so appointed are devilish rogues.

Many worry about the expenditure that is incurred for the salaries of Ministers, maintenance of their personal staff and offices, multiple vehicles and other perks for the Ministers and their staff. However, in spite of this expenditure, taken as a whole, running into billions, it is chicken feed compared to the colossal amounts Ministers can earn using the powers that embody the portfolios. The blind eyes and deaf ears turned to the hundreds of  billions of rupees lost by the state and the public, as pointed out by the COPE reports in 2007 and recently, speak volumes on the money making capacity of the politicians in the country, irrespective of the political party running the country or the fact as to who is in which party.

These portfolios, throughout the recent history have become tools for the rulers to break or weaken opposition political parties and to cling on to power when the ruling parties are in a delicate position in respect of parliamentary majority. However, the present situation in the country does not warrant even such unethical appointments, since the current ruling party is in a strong position and the pathetic part of the story is that a large segment of the tax paying masses do not view these appointments as something to be bothered or at least have some impact on the lives of their children.

In a way, it is fruitless to blame the rulers for this kind of goings on as they have been repeatedly given an assurance of endorsement by the people. It is said that God would not change the destiny of the people until they are prepared to change themselves.