NEWS reports said Finance Minister AMA Muhith has requested the Speaker of Parliament to be more judicious in allowing lawmakers to go on foreign trips. He made the request as he is coming under tremendous pressure to allocate funds for lawmakers’ official visits abroad. It is noticeable that most foreign trips by Ministers, lawmakers and government officials involving tax-payers’ money are taken up just for the fun of going to foreign countries cost free. So the Finance Minister has asked the Speaker to strictly manage the powerful lobbies on such issues. But the fact is that they have been chosen as MPs and Ministers in most cases for spending huge money. So nothing is wrong to them. The Finance Minister himself is also not totally blameless in undertaking useless foreign visits. As far as we know he is not welcome to many countries for his callous remarks about other countries. Even now he claims Americans will not be helpful. What he does then to see we have friends everywhere. He seems to be too happy with his position without accountability. Named by many such as technical trip, study tour and practical experience gatherings trips, these are easy way of misusing public money by high profile people on state funded pleasure trips. Tax-payers pay money while they remain marginalized. Questions also arises how these hurriedly planned tours by Members of Legislative and executive bodies without proper justification get approval from the authorities concerned other than giving undue favour to vested interest quarters. The Minister’s letter was reportedly prompted as Parliament Secretariat sought for additional funds to organize some overseas trips for lawmakers. The Finance Minister finds he has no money, though he did not say it honestly. The Railways Ministry last month asked for fund for foreign trips of some members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry. It was a planned visit to Japan and a few other countries to learn about their railways system. The proposal came at a time when the Finance Ministry was yet to meet another request made last month by members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Public Administration for around Tk 2 crore for visit of some of its members to Vietnam and China. Recently, Rajuk had to include lawmakers in its study tours to the USA, Australia, Germany, France and Japan under pressure from Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Housing and Public Works. The problem lies with the fact that this government has no accountability to the people.
