GET IT RIGHT FOR ONCE!

WHEN he arrived in Parliament to deliver the national budget, the Finance minister was pictured abandoning his intent to open an umbrella for his wife as it drizzled.

Well, there was no umbrella of supporters in Parliament on Wednesday to cover him either as it rained criticism of the budget he delivered last Friday in the House of Assembly.

His wife told the media on the day that she wished next year’s national budget presentation would be his last. Well, this wish may come a year sooner if the minister fails to get this budget through following an almost double majority vote to have him revise it and present one that is pro-poor.
He’s been asked to resign if he fails. The only surprise to the House of Assembly rejection of the national budget on Wednesday is the fact that Members of Parliament (MPs) finally seem to understand what a national budget is.

They passed a motion calling for the minister to go back and consult the Finance Sessional Committee and table a revised budget within 48 hours. Personally, one doesn’t see that happening but the MPs deserve credit for trying.

The MPs’ attitude seems to be of a mean mood this time around if the re-election of Lobamba MP Marwick Khumalo as Chairperson of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) is any indicator.
This despite that Khumalo has pending criminal charges related to alleged mismanagement of the CPA funds in court.

This decision is sending a strong vote of no confidence in the country’s justice system that has earned itself a reputation of being quick to charge and arrest but very slow and reluctant to prosecute.
MP Khumalo is not the only MP legislating as a suspect, by the way, and we do hope the recent appointment of judges and the anticipated establishment of corruption and commercial courts will restore some confidence and oil the wheels of justice in this country.

Whether this will be as quick as the 48 hours given to the Finance minister to fix the budget remains to be seen but the MPs seem to be in the right frame of mind to sort things out properly, for a change.

The motion to reject the budget moved by Dvokodvweni MP Sitezi Dlamini and seconded by Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini may not have touched on all the salient points that the minister needs to fix but the call to increase the budget allocation for agriculture and the increase in the community projects budget is spot on.

If there is one area that the country should capitalise on to revitalise the local economy it has to be in agriculture. This is no brainer. The large amount of food and produce imported from neighbouring States represents a market for local farmers.

 A classic example is that of milk. Following the successful operation of A Swazi Milk Dairy Farm, which was established through a partnership of Old Mutual, Public Service Pensions Fund (PSPF) and the Swaziland National Provident Fund (SNPF), local milk production has increased and imports reduced. Now the country is exporting double cream yoghurt to other countries in the region.

The RSSC has also shown that the demand for food in this country is high and this is a market to be served. The company allocated close to 600 hectares of their guzzling sugar cane fields to planting maize at the height of the drought season and this yielded very positive returns for the company, reducing their sugar cane losses. 

This is exactly what we need.
Agriculture also has the greatest potential to create employment in this country, the bonus of which will be food self sufficiency. If people have jobs and food on the table there is no reason to do crime and therefore no reason for increasing the spend on security.

The motion speaks to increasing the allocation to community projects which is good as these can be developed to form a strong part of the SMME sector required to build a strong economic foundation for this country.
The allocation of resources to build a strong SMME sector should serve as an alternative to reliance on the diminishing Southern African Customs Union (SACU).

Here, the minister was disappointingly vague and his new budget should be very specific and convincing on how his balancing act will generate the much needed boost to this crucial sector.

In tabling the Cabinet budget, the Finance minister had used the tried and tested formula of appeasing the MPs with some form of incentive to make them look good in their constituencies. This time it was the increased allocation to the Regional Development Fund from E88 million to E110 million.
Clearly it didn’t work for him.
Now he must try one that favours the people more and he may be surprised at how quickly his budget will make it through.

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