The bane of reckless handouts
We have recently been witness to the very worrying phenomenon of individual ministers making announcements of impending handouts without first having run their plans past the proper authorities at the Finance Ministry or securing their formal approval. Such tactics must cease immediately because they cast the government in a very unfavorable light and make it appear incapable of coordinating its own people and departments. Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis recently assigned an entirely new financial team to handle the country’s economic affairs and they have his full confidence and support. Those «generous» ministers should therefore put aside all irresponsible talk of handouts and act with the seriousness demanded by the current global financial slowdown. The amount of money that can be spent from the budget, and allocating where it should go, is something that should be left in the hands of the prime minister and his financial staff, not of individuals seeking to curry favor with certain segments of the public.
