スリランカ、新閣外相３７人 公費の「無駄遣い」と国民は猛反発

【ＡＦＰ＝時事】スリランカは８日、新たに閣外相３７人を任命し、史上最悪の経済危機のさなかにある同国のソーシャルメディアでは公費の「無駄遣い」だと猛反発が起きている。（写真は資料写真）
　人口２２００万人のスリランカはここ数か月、激しいインフレと生活必需品の深刻な不足に見舞われており、４月には事実上のデフォルト（債務不履行）に陥った。
　政府によると、３７人の新閣外相は特別職としての給与は受け取らないが、それぞれ燃料込みの車３台、官舎、ボディーガード、私設秘書の給与、切手購入費を支給される。
　これに対し、一部のソーシャルメディアユーザーは不満を爆発させ、あるツイッターユーザーは「極貧状態なのに閣外相が３７人も！」と投稿。
　別のユーザーは「こんな無駄な閣外相に公費を使うなんて…生活を切り詰めるしかない。税金が消えていく」とツイートしている。
　新閣外相は全員、ゴタバヤ・ラジャパクサ前大統領が率いた連立政権の出身。ラジャパクサ氏は７月、デモ隊に公邸を占拠されて国外逃亡したが、先週帰国した。
　新閣外相の中には、ラジャパクサ氏のおいも含まれており、かんがいを担当する。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2022/09/12-14:48）

Sri Lanka added 37 new senior posts to its government on Thursday, sparking a social media backlash over useless public spending in the middle of its worst economic crisis on record.
The country of 22 million has suffered months of rampant inflation, severe shortages of essential goods and widespread protests, pushing it to default on its foreign debt in April.
The 37 new state ministers will not accept their modest salaries, but they are entitled to three cars each with fuel, state housing, bodyguards, salaries for personal staff and free stamps, the government said.
On social media, some Sri Lankans vented frustration over the use of public funds.
No pot to pee... but 37 state ministers! tweeted user Soraya Deen.
Mirhani Rahees added on the platform: Spending on these useless state ministers... we have to tighten our belts. There goes my tax money in flames.
Another user, Krishna Perera, accused the government of having no commitment to human rights, economic reform, or accountability.
The new members all come from the coalition of former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled Sri Lanka in July after protesters overran his official residence, but he returned to the country last week.
Among the new ministers is Rajapaksa's nephew, Sashindra, who takes the irrigation portfolio.
The 37 new posts are in addition to the 20-member cabinet of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over in late July following Rajapaksa's exit.
Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, has only one seat in the 225-member parliament and depends on Rajapaksa's Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, the largest bloc.
Officials close to Wickremesinghe said his attempts to form a broad unity government were yet to materialise as the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) had refused to join.
Sri Lanka is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to finalise a $2.9-billion bailout that requires Colombo to raise taxes and privatise loss-making state enterprises -- both politically unpopular moves.
In a new report released Tuesday, the UN Human Rights Council urged Wickremesinghe to prosecute those responsible for economic crimes that bankrupted the country.
The report said a culture of impunity for war-time atrocities during the decades-long civil war that ended in 2009 had led to the economic crisis which has undermined the rights of all communities.