Speaker protests move by Ministry of Finance to reduce Parliament’s budget by 50%
The development comes at the time Parliament has been in the spotlight over corruption and wasteful expenditures, although, it isn't known whether Finance's decision was informed by findings from these social media allegations.
The Speaker of parliament Anita Among has protested the move by the Ministry of Finance to reduce Parliament’s budget by 50%, with MPs describing the decision as humiliating and demeaning to the Legislature.
According to Among, “Our deduction of 50%, shall we be paid salary? You even have the courtesy to put it in bold, on a statutory vote that Parliament shouldn’t get money.”
The development comes at the time Parliament has been in the spotlight over corruption and wasteful expenditures, although, it isn’t known whether Finance’s decision was informed by findings from these social media allegations.
The Speaker’s remarks followed a concern raised by Nathan Byanyima (Bukanga North) who wondered what had befallen the Ministry of Finance, because in the previous years, the occupants of the office of Secretary to Treasury were people of high caliber.
Byanyima wondered why Ramathan Ggoobi, the current Secretary to Treasury would announce a 50% budget cut to Parliament and also make statements that Parliament has no powers to alter budgets submitted by the Ministry of Finance.
“I have seen a paper that the Parliamentary budget will be cut by 50%. Where does such a person (Ggoobi) get powers? There is a rule that we must respect each other, treat other people the way you want to be treated. We have been demeaned to nothing. But when the Secretary to the Treasury goes to a Committee of Parliament and says that we have no role to play in the budget and appropriation, it defeats my understanding, has this country changed? I don’t see why we are wasting our time going into the budget. It doesn’t make sense,” said Byanyima.
Sarah Opendi (Tororo DWR) also claimed that while appearing on NBS TV this morning, Ggoobi alluded to the same sentiments, saying that Parliament has no power of budgeting that this is an Executive function.
“He said Parliament has no powers to move money from one vote to another because budgeting for this country isn’t our responsibility. That it is the Executive that knows the priority of this country. So, what is our role as Parliament? And the challenge we have in this country is picking people who haven’t grown in public service and placing them in such sensitive positions because a Secretary to Treasury used to rise from the bottom and when you pick someone from somewhere, they don’t respect leaders,” remarked Opendi.
Henry Musasizi the Minister of State for Finance, asked Parliament to disregard statements made by Ggoobi about Parliament not having powers of appropriation, saying such statements aren’t representative of the Ministry of Finance.
“To the best of my knowledge and experience, appropriation powers rest with Parliament. If the Secretary to Treasury expressed his views and opinions, I am not privy to what the Secretary to Treasury said, but I know but I know the Secretary to Treasury doesn’t have a chance to speak on this microphone,”
Musasizi invited legislatures to disregard what the Secretary to Treasury said, noting that they should always take what the Ministry of Finance says, adding that if whatever he said, wherever he said it from, offended the Committee of Parliament or Parliament in general, they apologize as a ministry.
