Why do calls for austerity remain unheeded?
We are disappointed that the repeated calls for austerity, no less from the prime minister herself, have thus far failed to curb wastage, inefficiencies, and corruption in various government agencies in the midst of the worst economic crisis in over a decade. The finance ministry has recently issued yet another directive to practise austerity, calling upon government, semi-government, autonomous, and statutory bodies, as well as state-owned enterprises and financial institutions, to cut expenditures in the revised budget for the rest of the fiscal year. It has also asked them not to demand any additional money beyond the amount allocated.
There can be no doubt that this directive is the need of the hour, yet we cannot help but wonder if such calls are enough to change the status quo, given their consistent failure to hold those who flout such prescriptions to account.
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We have repeatedly written about the many excesses that government officials and institutions have engaged in over the past few months, from unnecessary foreign trips as part of government projects (despite a supposed ban on such trips) to acquiring lavish apartment buildings using taxpayers' money, from chronic cost escalations and deadline extensions of projects to financial irregularities in a number of public offices. Unfortunately, but predictably, no one has had to answer for flagrantly disregarding the PM's directive to practise austerity. Even the audit reports, prepared by the government's own oversight institution, the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), detailing the irregularities and corruption of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), Petrobangla, the Directorate General of Food, the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), public hospitals and other healthcare facilities, and the ministries of agriculture and fisheries and livestock (to name just a few), have been gathering dust. We have not even seen any public acknowledgement of these reports, much less promises of action against the concerned departments and involved officials. Under the circumstances, we must ask: does the government lack the capacity to address the glaring irregularities, or the willingness to do so?
When the national budget for this fiscal year was announced, we had expressed our concern that it seemed insufficient to address the challenges facing our economy at the time. We are glad that the finance ministry has at last understood the importance of cutting down the existing budget, and more crucially, of stopping reckless spending in the name of burning the budget. Every year, we witness a desperate attempt by different ministries and divisions towards the end of the fiscal year to run through their allocated amount, by any inefficient means possible. We simply cannot afford such carelessness at this critical juncture.
Therefore, we welcome the directive that any money of the development allocation that remains unused be returned to the government, instead of being transferred to the revenue budget. We can only hope that good sense will prevail and the relevant ministries and departments will finally do what is best for the country and its people who are struggling to simply survive in these trying times. We urge the finance ministry to follow through with their directives and ensure their implementation, beginning with strengthening its monitoring system of how the budget is planned and spent.
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