MAINTAINING 107 MINISTERS IN LANKA -WHAT A CRIMINAL WASTE..!!

ASOKA SENEVIRATNE

Last week a Sri Lanka parliament member raised a question addressed to the Minister in Charge of Nation Building. There was a slight problem though. There are six Ministers in charge of Nation Building and there was confusion as to which one should answer the question.

During the same session it was revealed that most Minister's Sports Utility Vehicle rental cost SLR 290000 a month and most ministers also use another rental Sedan car for another SLR 190000 a month. In addition to this they are entitled to SLR 75000 worth of gasoline a month. Average cost of an official Bungalow is SLR 100000 it was also revealed while empty official rooms at the parliamentarians hostel are waiting for company in vain.

The JVP memeber of Parliament Anura Dassanayake observed that at this rate it costs SLR two Billion (yes 2 billion) a month to maintain all the 107 Ministers. Now lok at that in the perspective of a Lankan citizen whose monthly salary is SLR 20000 with a couple of kids and perhaps parents to look after, buy food, clothing, housing and medicine.

What on earth has gone wrong with our countries leadership? Either some of them don't know that two plus two is four (like the old Premadasa saying goes) or they have simply gone berserk at the huge power bestowed on them by the public office they hold. I tend to think in many cases it is a bit of both as some leaders surely are simply dumb and don't know what the purpose of their existence is. - To make life better for the Lankans not for the leaders..!!

Now time and time again also we have seen the palatial bungalows built by former and current ministers who until they came to hold public office were CTB peddlers. Now how come since 1977 (the year Lanka Political Culture changed for good) not a single Politician has not been found guilty of corruption or bribery. On one rare occasion a former Sports Minister for sent to jail only for contempt of court, nothing else. This person also built a mansion in his home town while holding a cabinet post.

Fellow Lankans, our little country is being robbed left, right and center by both major parties. It is a sort of a monopoly or an unwritten law not to dig each others closets or else the entire country will begin to stink to high heavens.

In Singapore, the very prosperous little island state, no Minister is allowed a vehicle of their own. They can pull a car from a pool on a daily basis. Many countries adopt this very noble practice. In some wealthier countries even when going gets rough, the ministers drive their own cars to set an example. In our little impoverished country most leaders do exactly the opposite.

Democracy it is said, is of the people, by the people, and for the people. In once decent and dignified Sri Lanka this used to be the case. But for a while now it has become of the people, by the people and for the benefit of the crooks.

Thanks to great advances made by world's great democracies, in today's world information travels in a split second to million of people across the continents. This is of great benefit to people to trash out the injustices meted to them by their so called leaders. Lanka has a very educated people trapped in a vicious and corrupt system. Only one group in this country has stood up even a bit to the injustices. Now while I personally don't endorse their once rejected philosophy of violence, JVP are the closest we have come to fight for what is just and fair for Lanka. I pray that they will stick to their principals and not fall pray to the prevailing political winds and become yet another bunch of the corrupt politicians.

While all Lankans world over like to hear about Prabhakarans evil war for Elam and see an end to it, we should always use the Internet medium to greater advantage to our motherland to rid this once blessed country of ours of the weeds, pests, jackals and snakes who rule it.

I thank Lankaweb for publishing this letter.