Opposition walk out over budget

ALL nine opposition MPs present in the National Assembly yesterday walked out of the Chamber in protest against the Additional Budget, which was due to be debated.

As a result there was no debate and the Finance Minister merely made a few short concluding remarks and business continued as usual. At that point there was no quorum, but despite this, Deputy Speaker Doreen Sioka carried on regardless.The bell was eventually rung and some Swapo MPs returned to the Chamber and the minimum of 37 voting members to form a quorum was eventually restored.Ben Ulenga, President of the opposition Congress of Democrats (CoD), was the only speaker on the Additional Budget before the walkout.”I express my unpleasant surprise that we are forced again to rubber-stamp the unilateral decision by the executive arm of Government (the Cabinet) to appropriate additional funds for this financial year,” Ulenga said.”The annual budget we voted on barely five months ago and passed as an Act of Parliament was not worth the paper it was written on,” Ulenga admonished.”Many of us MPs, both of the opposition as well as backbenchers from the ruling party, are not impressed by this unexpected return of the additional budget after we were encouraged a few years ago when Government talked of discarding the habit of additional budgets,” he added.The Speaker ruled last month that no new Bills should be tabled after November 1, Ulenga said.Parliament and its committees were also not acknowledged during preparations for the additional budget and this showed how the Executive continued “to rape the principle of checks and balances with impunity, making them meaningless”.Ulenga then explained that the 41 Cabinet ministers and their deputies formed the majority in the House, with all the backbenchers counting only 31.”Parliamentary accountability becomes a big joke – how can 41 people (the Ministers and deputies) be made to account to 72 people, when the 41 MPs are themselves already a majority?” he wanted to know.”The Executive has been taking the nation for a ride and it is now time that this flagrant disregard of the checks and balances of Parliament as enshrined in the Constitution be halted,” he said.”Why does the Finance Minister at all take the Bill on the additional budget to the National Assembly when it was already passed by Cabinet?” Ulenga asked.The additional funds were unnecessary, Ulenga concluded.”There is no emergency, only extreme sloppiness in planning.This time you shall not have our co-operation in keeping this nasty additional budget habit alive.”Ulenga then put down his speech and walked out with his two CoD colleagues, followed by Henk Mudge (Republican Party), DTA President Katuutire Kaura and his colleague Philemon Moongo, Chief Kuaima Riruako and Asser Mbai of Nudo and Jurie Viljoen of Monitor Action Group (MAG).Speaking to the media afterwards, Ulenga said the opposition was fed up with Cabinet dictating to Parliament and undermining the oversight function of MPs.”In other countries, parliaments have a household committee consisting of all parties represented and they give a lot of input when the new budget is drafted,” Ulenga told The Namibian.When the RP’s Mudge briefly returned to the Chamber to fetch his briefcase, Deputy Lands Minister Isak Katali taunted: “Vat jou goed en trek (take your stuff and go).”Riruako merely said that opposition MPs could hardly influence matters in the House.”We are at the mercy of the Executive, which is Cabinet,” he stated.DTA leader Kaura said the walkout had not been planned.”It was rather a spontaneous move,” he said.At that point there was no quorum, but despite this, Deputy Speaker Doreen Sioka carried on regardless.The bell was eventually rung and some Swapo MPs returned to the Chamber and the minimum of 37 voting members to form a quorum was eventually restored.Ben Ulenga, President of the opposition Congress of Democrats (CoD), was the only speaker on the Additional Budget before the walkout.”I express my unpleasant surprise that we are forced again to rubber-stamp the unilateral decision by the executive arm of Government (the Cabinet) to appropriate additional funds for this financial year,” Ulenga said.”The annual budget we voted on barely five months ago and passed as an Act of Parliament was not worth the paper it was written on,” Ulenga admonished.”Many of us MPs, both of the opposition as well as backbenchers from the ruling party, are not impressed by this unexpected return of the additional budget after we were encouraged a few years ago when Government talked of discarding the habit of additional budgets,” he added.The Speaker ruled last month that no new Bills should be tabled after November 1, Ulenga said.Parliament and its committees were also not acknowledged during preparations for the additional budget and this showed how the Executive continued “to rape the principle of checks and balances with impunity, making them meaningless”.Ulenga then explained that the 41 Cabinet ministers and their deputies formed the majority in the House, with all the backbenchers counting only 31.”Parliamentary accountability becomes a big joke – how can 41 people (the Ministers and deputies) be made to account to 72 people, when the 41 MPs are themselves already a majority?” he wanted to know.”The Executive has been taking the nation for a ride and it is now time that this flagrant disregard of the checks and balances of Parliament as enshrined in the Constitution be halted,” he said.”Why does the Finance Minister at all take the Bill on the additional budget to the National Assembly when it was already passed by Cabinet?” Ulenga asked.The additional funds were unnecessary, Ulenga concluded.”There is no emergency, only extreme sloppiness in planning.This time you shall not have our co-operation in keeping this nasty additional budget habit alive.”Ulenga then put down his speech and walked out with his two CoD colleagues, followed by Henk Mudge (Republican Party), DTA President Katuutire Kaura and his colleague Philemon Moongo, Chief Kuaima Riruako and Asser Mbai of Nudo and Jurie Viljoen of Monitor Action Group (MAG).Speaking to the media afterwards, Ulenga said the opposition was fed up with Cabinet dictating to Parliament and undermining the oversight function of MPs.”In other countries, parliaments have a household committee consisting of all parties represented and they give a lot of input when the new budget is drafted,” Ulenga told The Namibian.When the RP’s Mudge briefly returned to the Chamber to fetch his briefcase, Deputy Lands Minister Isak Katali taunted: “Vat jou goed en trek (take your stuff and go).”Riruako merely said that opposition MPs could hardly influence matters in the House.”We are at the mercy of the Executive, which is Cabinet,” he stated.DTA leader Kaura said the walkout had not been planned.”It was rather a spontaneous move,” he said.