Largest Cabinet in the world with the shortest Budget debate: Eran

Thursday, 9 October 2014 00:07 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

UNP MP Eran Wickramaratne yesterday blasted the Government feasting with the largest Cabinet in the world for its attempts to rush through the 2015 Budget within the shortest span of time. “The President Mahinda Rajapaksa administration is trying to ram the 2015 Budget through Parliament by deliberately cutting the debate short. This is yet another attempt to undermine democracy and Parliament and in the process the rights and freedoms of the people of this country,” the UNP MP said. Noting that Article 148 of the Constitution specifies that Parliament has full control over finances, Wickramaratne said the most important scheduled debate in Parliament was the Budget debate. “A citizen cannot be taxed a single rupee without Parliament’s approval. That approval is not limited to the vote in Parliament by the use of an artificially-created majority. The debate in itself is a part of the approval process,” he said. “If allowed to happen, this Budget debate done at lightning speed will be one of the shortest in Parliamentary history. Nobody asked for a rushed Budget. The Government is running scared after the results of the Uva elections and is trying to escape criticism and accountability by strangling the Budget debate process,” added Wickramaratne, who was recently appointed as UNP’s Treasurer. He said it has been the practice in this once-democratic nation for representatives of the people to be given adequate time to express their views in Parliament and the Standing Orders provide for 26 days of debate. “However, we now understand that the Budget will be held on 24 October. The second reading starts the next day and is to end on the 30th.The committee stage debate will then take place, which will then end on 18 November. The debate will be 20 days instead of the 26 days provided for in the Standing Orders,” he said. “By deliberately slashing the time of the debate, the Rajapaksa administration is attempting to muzzle Parliament itself and undermine its control over the country’s finances,” the UNP MP alleged. “This attempt, he said, “comes as questions are raised about the economic data, budget numbers and skyrocketing foreign debt levels by legislators, economists and concerned members of the public”. The UNP MP also said the inadequacy of household income, the inability of people to meet their health costs and the desperation of youth who are living without appropriate employment, income and hope need to be addressed in the Budget debate. “It is an irony that Sri Lanka has the largest Cabinet and number of ministries for any government in the world, but is moving to have the shortest Budget debate. If at all the number of days for the Budget debate should have been increased,” the UNP MP said.

President to present 2015 Budget on 24 October

President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as the Minister of Finance and Planning will deliver the budget for year 2015 to Parliament on 24 October. The decision to present the next year’s Budget earlier to Parliament has been taken at the Party Leaders’ meeting held on Tuesday, the Government media said. Accordingly, the second and third voting will be held on 30 October and 18 November. The Cabinet of Ministers approved the Appropriation Bill for the Financial Year 2015 submitted by President last month. The Government has estimated Rs. 1.812 trillion (approximately $ 14 billion) as expenditure for its services for the financial year of 2015. The Appropriation Bill 2015 targets a budget deficit of 4.4% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the next year while expecting a growth rate of 8.2%.