2 days for MPs to pass budget

By The Daily Times Last updated Mar 25, 2023

Leader of the House Richard Chimwendo Banda announced, at the end of business in Parliament Thursday, that lawmakers will have general debate on the budget from today up to Wednesday and that the Committee of Supply, which scrutinises the budget vote by vote, will be conducted on Thursday and Friday. With Parliament business restricted to half day on Friday, it…

With the 2022-23 national financial year ending on Friday next week, lawmakers will have only two days to discuss and pass all the 58 votes in the K3.87 trillion 2023-24 national budget, it has been announced.

But the Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament has described the time allocated for passing the budget as inadequate, saying it would lead to members of Parliament (MPs) just passing votes for the sake of passing them.

With Parliament business restricted to half day on Friday, it could mean that the Committee of Supply may only be conducted in one-and-a-half days.

But in an interview Thursday, Chimwendo Banda insisted that the time allocated for the Committee of Supply would be enough for lawmakers to pass the budget.

He said lawmakers already scrutinised the budget within the two weeks which were allocated during the cluster period.

“In fact, it’s not one-and-a-half days because Friday will be the whole day. This gives us two days to pass the budget.

“People should not confuse Committee of Supply with scrutinising the budget. The MPs already scrutinised the budget and their analyses are contained in the various reports that various cluster chairpersons were presenting today,” Chimwendo Banda said.

Finance Minister Sosten Gwengwe said Thursday that, where time is not allowing, the Committee of Supply could run up to late into the evening.

He was confident that the august House would be able to pass the financial plan within the two days, having already scrutinised it over the past two weeks.

But Budget and Finance Committee of Parliament Chairperson Gladys Ganda was quick to note that the two days will not be enough for proper scrutiny of budget votes.

“When we talk of passing the budget, the most critical time is when we are analysing the allocations to every vote. If there is a time to change budget allocations by adding or subtracting resources, it is during the Committee of Supply.

“So to give such an important task only one-and-a-half day, as we have all heard here, is very unfair. The other way is to cut the time on general debate on the budget so that we start the Committee of Supply a bit earlier. For example, if we start on Tuesday or Wednesday, at least we could have some time to carefully look at the various votes,” Ganda said

In its budget assessment report Thursday, the Budget and Finance Committee described the budget as a mixed bag, saying there are some good things as well as other things which need to be reconsidered.

Among other things, the committee noted that the fiscal deficit has continued to increase, leading to increased borrowing.

Taking his turn, co-chairperson for the Health and HIV Cluster of Parliament Mathews Ngwale warned that the Cancer Centre in Lilongwe may take another five years before it is completed at the current level of funding.

According to Ngwale, government needs to allocate K7.5 billion to the project if it is to meet its May 2023 completion deadline.