"Over my dead body," said [Interior Minister] Lauri Läänemets, leader of the coalition SDE party, regarding proposed cuts to the budget of state agencies under his responsibility. Similar statements are frequently heard from members of the Estonian government, often with an air of certainty that their main mission is to demand ever-increasing expenses for the state structures entrusted to them.

However, when taking office, a minister swears an oath to "dedicate their efforts to ensuring the well-being and future of the Estonian people."

The fact that the goal of ensuring the well-being of the entire Estonian population so quickly shifts in a minister's actions to demanding larger funds for "their own" area is one of the main causes of inefficient governance.

This situation largely stems from the widespread public belief that a successful minister is one who, during coalition negotiations, extracts the most taxpayer money to spend on their field's bureaucrats. The media, too, tends to portray as strong those ministers who irresponsibly demand more spending, rather than those who place an emphasis on leadership, efficiency and savings.

From the perspective of an Estonian citizen, it is far more important that the public sector achieves good results as efficiently as possible. This means that the metric of a good leader is whether they can achieve positive outcomes with minimal expenses, not how much money they managed to secure regardless of the results.

Too often, it also seems that coalition representatives view their primary mission as ensuring good salaries for their sector's employees, rather than making the most sensible use of the money entrusted to them by the public.

Of course, every public sector employee wants a higher salary, and those who secure the largest pay raises are guaranteed praise from the workers in that particular sector. But as a society, we must be demanding and watch closely to ensure that taxpayers' money is used in the best possible way, rather than simply fulfilling the wishes of narrow lobbying groups and improving their welfare.

As a result of prioritizing the interests of narrow public sector groups instead of broader societal interests, we have seen in recent years that the average salary and the number of public sector employees have grown significantly faster than in the private sector, which is, after all, what keeps the economy alive and funds these salaries.

Responsible financial management becomes especially crucial during crises, when saving becomes a key factor in overcoming difficulties and fostering future growth, whether for a business facing financial challenges, a family or the public sector. That is why we must be particularly demanding of our leaders when it comes to setting goals right now.

To put an end to the current state of governance with misguided goals, the public needs to shift its attitude toward leaders and measure their success by how wisely they manage taxpayer money, rather than elevating those who merely demand more spending.

As a first step, I urge the public to recognize and applaud those ministers who have the courage and statesmanship to make the biggest cuts in their areas of responsibility. Greater savings during a crisis mean a lighter tax burden for our people, and such ministers are the ones acting in line with the oath they took upon entering office, standing for the well-being of the entire Estonian population, not just the narrow interests of a particular group.

Soon, with the introduction of the new state budget draft, we will see tables showing which ministers' fields saw the largest increases in spending and where the greatest savings were made. In 2024, the best minister will be the one who manages to reduce taxpayer expenses the most.

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