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Cracking the whip on globe-trotters

When it seemed that a sense of complacency was setting thick and fast among the upper reaches of the country's governing system, it is gladdening to note that Premier Ranil Wickremesinghe has chosen to crack the whip on superfluous globe-trotting by his Ministers.

Needless to say, overseas travel by particularly Ministers of State and other prominent sections of the power elite, is a sore point among the people. Repeated, inessential trips abroad by these persons, usually conjure in the minds of the people the image of a set of power-wielders who are in a mighty hurry to make the most of their tenure at the top. The stereotype of the top Minister who is out there to only enjoy the luscious plums of office and little else, is relentlessly reinforced in the mind of the ordinary citizen.

The move, therefore, by the Prime Minister to curb the foreign travels of his Ministers is most timely. It comes at a time when there is widespread popular lament over the rising cost of living and the gruelling hardships involved in making ends meet. Natural justice demands that belt-tightening be imposed on all sections of the body-politic and not only on the social base, which consists mainly of the poor and the lower middle-class.

The lessons of history, unfortunately, are so easily forgotten by those who hold the reins of power and office. Popular anger rises to fever-pitch levels against those sections of the ruling elite who give themselves up to extravagant, profligate living. The last occasion this happened in local political history was in December 2001 when the then PA administration was given the thumbs down by our electors. It was a vote against inefficiency, corruption and parasitic living. On the other hand, the "yes" vote for the UNF, reflected a popular yearning for efficiency, discipline and an end to the devastating North-East war and, generally speaking, national regeneration. In fact, the UNF came to power on these platforms. If no improvements are registered on these fronts, the people couldn't be faulted for feeling that they have been let down by the UNF Government too.

The Prime Minister, then, couldn't have done better than to call on his Ministers to curb their urge for high-flying at what could be described as a decisive phase in the history of the UNF administration. The Government has done well to put the economy on a steady course of recovery but much more, obviously, has to be done to lay a firm foundation for economic stabilization. The Government needs to inculcate in itself a spirit of self-sacrifice if the popular faith in the administration is to be retained and we hope the Prime Minister's curbs on needless overseas travel by some of his Ministers would prove a sound starting point in this direction.

We do not believe all is lost in the eternal battle to rein in the cost of living. During the notorious reign of the "Parivasa" government in the months leading up to the crucial December 5th, 2001 general election, profligate, wasteful living by some top, ruling politicoes of the day was seen as responsible for sky-rocketing living costs. Besides, financial maintenance of the then overblown administrative set-up gobbled-up a sizeable portion of public money. These developments sowed the seeds of popular discontent.

These lessons need to be learnt assiduously. If the peace process, which is showing promise, is to be taken to its logical conclusion, the Government needs to govern efficiently and prudently and remain the popular favourite of the people. Premier Wickremesinghe, we believe, should ensure that all Government Ministers, MPs and officials remain at their posts - unless essential needs demand overseas travel - for the purpose of taking the country steadily on the paths of peace and economic recovery.

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