REJECTED BUDGET THROWS PARLIAMENT INTO CONFUSION

LOBAMBA – Did Members of Parliament (MPs) shoot themselves in the foot when they rejected Minister of Finance Martin Dlamini’s 2017-18 budget?

This was the question on almost everyone’s lips when it was revealed that Section 108 of the House’s Standing Orders clearly stated that a Bill that has been rejected of the same substance shall not be introduced again during the current session.

However, this would mean the country would not have a national budget’, which would grind to a halt all government operations including salaries for civil servants.
As a result, the MPs were locked in a caucus which started at 11:15am and dragged well into the afternoon.

The MPs and particularly the executive arm of government as a result, hit a deadlock concerning the changes, if any, that would go into the budget.
Some of the MPs and members of Cabinet suggested that the motion calling for the rejection of the budget should be reversed.

“Some of the legislators said the motion should be withdrawn so that the budget can be debated and that the MPs would get a chance to make the changes to the budget during the Portfolio Committee debates,” said one MP.
However, the MPs again resolved that the Finance Sessional Committee, which is chaired by Mangcongco MP Patrick ‘Pha’ Motsa, should meet with the minister and his team to sort out the differences they had.

During the caucus, some members of the finance committee said the minister had in fact given them a piece of paper, which had articulated figures where some of the budget reallocations would be made.
It was at this point that Motsa and Nkwene MP Sikhumbuzo Dlamini were seen running at full speed along the Parliament corridors, allegedly looking for a copy of the meeting’s minutes from last Friday.

“I do not know how this will end because there are clearly two different camps, but the MPs are adamant that they will let the Bill through until some reallocations are made,” said another MP.
The motion to reject the budget last Wednesday was moved by Dvokodvweni MP Sitezi Dlamini.

In the motion, Dlamini wanted the Finance minister to be directed to ‘re-budget’ for the nation and table a revised budget for the 2017-18 year, which would clearly address priority areas that were highlighted by His Majesty in his Speech from the Throne.

This, they said, included issues of potable or clean water, addressing feeder road networks, probase and increasing the allocation to the Ministry of Agriculture to address food security.
They had further suggested that the minister should extensively consult the finance sessional committee and table a revised budget within 48 hours of passing the motion.

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