THE recent economic review prepared by the country's leading independent think tank CPD raises an important point about the politics of the budget. The fact is that, especially after the mid-point in the tenure of any parliament, the government of the day has tended to frame budgets with an eye on upcoming polls. The CPD review is thus a salutary admonition and one that our policy makers would do well to keep in mind.

Of course it is unrealistic to think that there will be no electoral considerations coming into play in the budget session. Nor is there anything wrong with the government keeping one eye on the electorate, so long as the greater interest of the nation is not sacrificed to small interest groups and partisan self-dealing.

That said, the government should think in terms of enacting policies that actually benefit the people rather than doling out favours in the form of generous budgetary allocations every five years just before an election. Projects and policies that are well-conceived and efficiently implemented are the way to win over the voters, not preelection promises of great windfalls.

Our primary concern is not that the budget will be too political, but that it will be too partisan. We do not want to see ruling party constituencies and ruling party affiliated concerns showered with fund and those of the opposition neglected. We would like to see allocations based on need and national interest, not on partisan considerations.

For the long term, we urge governments to take the tough decisions early on in their tenure. It is rare to see any government take bold steps near the end of their tenure, as such policies can tend to be unpopular or controversial. We would also like to see funds properly utilised in a timely fashion. The creation of working oversight bodies to bring accountability and transparency to the process would be a good step in the right direction.

The ADP is already bloated and the government has been unable to properly utilise all the funds that have been earmarked under it. It will therefore be obvious to all if the next budget is framed with an eye on upcoming elections and is overly susceptible to manipulation of public resources and misuse of funds, or is a realistic one in line with the needs of the people. The government should keep in mind that the nation will be watching very closely.