First, the money was spent primarily for personal rather than official reasons such as distribution of Dashain allowances to near and dear ones and medical checkups. Second, by deciding to waive the arrears, the government is sending across the message that when one is in an important public position, it is perfectly okay to recklessly spend from the state’s coffer with no ramifications whatsoever. This attitude of the government is the reason why Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala is having the time of her life in Singapore with taxpayers’ hard-earned money.
Sujata, who is accompanying her father and Nepali Congress President Girija Prasad Koirala to Singapore for the latter’s treatment, is reportedly putting up in the ‘presidential suite’ of a hotel that charges over Rs 100,000 per day and drives around in a hired limousine that costs about Rs 200,000 everyday. The government had recently decided to bear all the expenses incurred in Koirala’s treatment. The cost also includes expenses incurred by Sujata and others accompanying the octogenarian leader. It has been estimated that the cost of Koirala’s treatment, which includes air ambulance fare, medical checkup costs and Sujata’s excesses, will come to about Rs 20 million.
When political leaders who occupy important positions fail to lead by example, it would be too naive to expect our bureaucrats to be frugal when it comes to spending government money. Austerity has to start from the top. Most importantly, our leaders have no right to waste the money of its poor citizens for self-gratification. What is even more important is that they should not get away with it when they are involved in such activities. Hence, if possible, we urge the government to refrain from waiving the arrears of our former prime ministers and ministers.
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