Parliament commences debate on budget 2013
Freetown, (SLENA): Parliament has commenced the debate on the Appropriation Act 2013 commonly known as Budget 2013 for the country. The Appropriation Act 2013 is being an Act to authorize expenditure from the consolidated revenue fund for the services for and on behalf of Sierra Leone for the fiscal year 2013.
The Act was laid on the table of parliament by the Minister t of State, Finance, Mr. Momodu Kargbo while Hon Claude Kamanda asked the house to make sure that all MDAs were represented. When checked it was noted 19 MDAs were present that day from different institutions.
In his contribution, Hon Osho Williams of the APC said he represents a constituency that is made up of slums, citing Kroo Bay, Susan’s Bay, etc and urged government to provide for the needs of these communities as slums do not add value to the overall development of a country.
Making his own contribution, Hon Ansu Kaikai, representing the opposition SLPP, noted that the Bill if passed into law will give power to government to use the consolidated funds for the benefit of Sierra Leoneans. “It’s a good budget,” he noted that with the high inflationary trend people don’t have the wherewithal to spend. “You can’t spend what you don’t have,” he argued, noting that since 2007 to now people’s appetite for development has increased.
Continuing, the SLPP MP said, “We must not let the people of Sierra Leone down. We can’t afford to have the economy bottled necked. We must as a people do that which is correct; uncompleted projects must be completed. Water, health and sanitation, electricity must be a must.”
In his maiden contribution to the debate, Hon Kelfala Sheka Conteh of the ruling APC party, representing Constituency 98 commended the people that prepared the (budget) document, saying it’s a credible one.
He said his constituency should be included in the pages of the budget for water and energy, and called on those responsible for disbursement and management of projects fund do what is in the bill.
The APC MP, Hon Amadu Fofanah of Constituency 109 said leakages should be stopped in all MDAs and asked that the internal audit department step up to meet the challenges of the budget and noted with delight an increase in allocation for health, infrastructure and education.
SB/HOP/SLENA
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