Speaker Ndugai thwarts Opposition motion over presentation of alternative budget

Dodoma. Speaker Job Ndugai has said the alternative budget will not be read in Parliament because it was not presented to the office of the Clerk of Parliament on time.

Reacting to Mr David Silinde (Momba - Chadema), Mr Ndugai said it was improper for the opposition bench to present their views on the government’s 2018/19 budget on the same day when they (the views) were to be read.

“How would you present your views today and expect them to be accepted? The office of the Clerk of Parliament had already prepared the Order Paper by the time you reached his office…I cannot blame him,” said Mr Ndugai. 

In his key argument, Mr Silinde, who doubles as deputy shadow Minister for Finance and Planning, wanted the Speaker’s guidance on why the Parliament did not accept the opposition bench’s budget speech for the financial year 2018/19.

He said the opposition worked hard and employed services of other researchers to come up with the speech which was easily dropped by the office of the Clerk of Parliament.

But according to Mr Ndugai, it was also bad that the opposition decided to use services of people who are now Members of Parliament (MPs) to prepare the alternative budget.

On Saturday, June 16, 2018, the leader of opposition in Parliament, Mr Freeman Mbowe told journalists here that the Shadow Finance Minister, Ms Halima Mdee would present the minority side’s view on the budget today, Monday, June 18, 2018.

That would have been the first time for the minority side to air its official views since the Parliament's budget sessions started almost two months ago.

On Thursday last week, the Finance and Planning Minister, Dr Phillip Mpango presented to the Parliament, the estimates for government revenue and expenditure for the financial year 2018/19, putting Tanzania’s budget at Sh32.5 trillion.

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