The remarks made by the minister deserve to be recognised and applauded by all concerned, and the public at large. The rather candid description of how public funds are squandered by various government agencies and ministries is, to say the least, debilitating. The pattern that follows in the wastage of public funds cannot be something that developed in a day or all too suddenly, nevertheless, the frank expression of it all is worth noticing.

We find that an honest analysis of the minister's remarks is also indicative of an indirect submission of how bad things are and the minister's apparent inability to tackle the issue. The honourable minister has described to us how he had to put up with the state of affairs for long 13 years during which he served as a minister in successive governments. We thus feel his candid remarks should have been made much earlier when their impact could have been heard and understood better. We thus feel that he too should share the burden of the failure in bringing about stricter fiscal discipline in government offices, directly or indirectly.

We find that there are two sides to the observations made by the minister. First, one facet of the problem is the corrupt practices amongst members of our civil bureaucracy, devoid of any moral and ethical considerations. The second part of the problem is the lack of political will on the part of the government in enforcing its authority and making the administration transparent and accountable.

Dealing with the endemic state of moral and ethical decline, not just in the civil service but elsewhere in the society, may be difficult and time consuming. However, that should not deter the administration from taking stern action against those who are in the wrong.