THE Parliamentary Opposition Group says the Minister of Finance may be in breach of section 52(1)(a) of the Public Finance Management Act 2013, which requires him to table the mid-year review report on the execution of the 2016 budget within seven months from the start of the financial year.
In a statement on Thursday, the Opposition Officesays we are already in September and there is no indication of this report having been tabled before the National Parliament.
The Opposition statement says Finance minister Snyder Rinimust be strongly reminded that this is not a mere formality.
“The Minister will be grossly mistaken to think this is a mere formality,” the statement said.
“This provision in the PFM Act 2013 is there to ensure that there is accountability by the Executive and to ensure that Parliament carries out its proper role of scrutiny and oversight and by contravening this provision is to undermine and compromise this Parliamentary scrutiny role as intended by that subsection,” it added.
“It is the view of the Opposition Group that by not providing the report on time as required by the law is the same as withholding information from Parliamentary due process of scrutiny and oversight role. Clearly this is setting a very serious precedence and the Speaker should not allow the Executive to use Parliament in this way,” the statement said.
Meanwhile the Parliamentary Opposition calls on the Speaker to ensure the executive complies with the requirements of the law.
The Opposition Office also strongly reminded the Minister and the Government to ensure that the 2017 budget is to be tabled as required by section 48(1) of the PFM Act 2013.
“This is very important to allow Parliament to carry out its scrutiny role into the budget,” it said.
