by R.M.B Senanayake
The high costs of the political system and its benefits should be evaluated since it has a bearing on political stability and economic growth. Establishment costs by way of salaries and perks to elected politicians, the equally heavy costs of the election campaigning and increase in the number of politicians with the setting up of Provincial Councils all demand a review. Can a country which has a structural budget deficit afford to run such a heavy political establishment? What are the benefits to society by having such a large number of politicians? Can we do with less and can we improve the quality of those getting elected as politicians?
The cost of maintaining a Minister is extremely high in Sri Lanka. A Minister has various privileges and perks including an inexplicable personal staff, vehicles and privileges unwarranted for a democratic country. Bigger the Cabinet, higher the expenditure. Apart from the Cabinet there are the heavy costs incurred on the Members of Parliament. Are they justified? The MPs will refer to the high cost of election campaigning to justify the salaries and perks they draw. They will say that they have to spend on election campaigning for a large electorate under the Proportional Representative System. They will refer to the preference votes they have to canvass personally to win a seat as they have to compete among the members of their own party. It is not only the political parties that contest an election under our PR system.
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