Dear Editor, Last week I heard the Prime Minister (Mark Brown) and Pukapuka MP Tingika Elikana justify the need to increase the number of Ministers from six to eight. The increase could be Ministers elected from the CIP MPs.

They said expansion of numbers of Ministers is necessary because we are no longer in the days where our budget is small, only $50 million. Now, the Government presents budgets close to $300 million. Their logic is there’s more money to spend and so more work for Cabinet.

Clearly these two are in for more rather than less in numbers feeding at the trough. They never once mentioned reform, responsible spending or at the very least reducing the cost of living. Instead, the PM “really, yep really” wants to allocate his 10 or so portfolios to new Ministers, a thing he could do right now but for his distrust of the ability of his team to handle such important responsibilities. It’s all about the fiefdom, clutching onto power.

Many people struggle daily to pay their bills, buy food, inflation is shockingly out of control, the very signals of the past that made necessary economic and political reform. It looks certain to me the inertia of perceived wealth has set into the brains of these politicians. Now they want largess instead of careful spending. Certainly, no lessons learned from history.

We got here because of constant reform and careful eye kept on our budget. Not in the eyes of the PM and Tingika Elikana.

“E ara e te iti tangata.” Say no to too many snouts in the trough.

(Name and address supplied)