PRIME Minister (PM) Manasseh Sogavare says the government at this stage does not intend to bring the 2021 budget to the house as yet this year for very obvious reasons.
Sogavare made the statement after the parliament passed the 2019 Appropriation Bill 2020 and the 2020 Appropriation Bill 2020 in parliament yesterday.
He said there are a lot of big exercises that needs to be done especially in the redirections and reprioritizations before coming out with the budget.
“Some other Bills are still sitting in Parliament and we also don’t want to deliberate on them but hold on and see how we are moving on.
“Some of the bills need to be relooked at especially in terms of reduction in order to help support the 2021 budget and that is the reason we don’t want to push for some reform agendas in this sitting,” he said.
Sogavare said as the parliament adjourned, it is the business of the government to hold more meetings a week to see what has been put forward by the redirection team to the Cabinet and Caucus.
“Those inputs from the redirection team including those from the permanent secretaries are the ones to guide us into the 2021 budget structure,” he said.
He said the focus for the 2021 budget should be on the economic growth and to maintain the frontline ministries as it was in the 2020 Supplementary Appropriation 2020 especially with these current situations.
“The government is also considering taking the attention of the Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs which established to look after the interest of the very vulnerable group which for years has not been receiving a kind of attention from the government,” he said.
By IAN M.KAUKUI
Honiara Newsroom
