The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has expressed dissatisfaction with the pace at which the establishment of the tripartite budget committee has been proceeding.
Speaking at the coalition’s press conference, opposition and APNU leader David Granger stated that his grouping has been demanding that a tripartite budget committee be set up since 2011; however, none has been established.
The opposition leader pointed out the importance of such a committee for the smooth flow of parliamentary discussions surrounding the national budget.
“Because the budget is such an important instrument, what we hope to do is to arrive at consensual outcomes, so both sides would be aware of the concerns of each other and they will work within the committee to have those concerns addressed rather than going to Parliament and hearing about measures for the first time and then trying to make adjustments on the floor,” Granger explained.
He noted that those adjustments can be made within eight to nine months outside the National Assembly.
He said: “APNU feels that the National Budget is so important that the three parties – APNU, the PPP/ C [People’s Progressive Party/ Civic] and AFC [Alliance For Change] – must sit down and actually design the budget. Now, the budget requires a lot of information so mere consultations could not provide APNU with the volume of information that it needs.”
Non-binding
recommendations
The opposition leader pointed out that while there are no bills, ordinance or convention which can force an executive government to be bound by the deliberations of a tripartite budget committee, the establishment of such a committee will enable all the parties to better deal with the issues affecting them.
He stated that APNU did not expect the committee’s recommendations to be binding, noting that there will always be differences; however, it was only concerned with the important elements of the budget, such as poverty alleviation, job creation, taxation, and social protection.
Granger disclosed that the APNU is looking to propose to the National Assembly that a parliamentary office for budget be established, which will deal with issues of the National Budget so as to iron out all the uneasiness and prevent some of the “car crashes”, which happen every year in the National Assembly.
