Times Of Swaziland: BUDGET CONSTRAINTS: PARLY COMPROMISED – CLERK

BUDGET CONSTRAINTS: PARLY COMPROMISED – CLERK
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Nonduduzo Kunene on 25/06/2024 07:33:00


LOBAMBA – Budget constraints have made Parliament to be highly compromised.
The Clerk to Parliament, who is the Controling officer, Benedict Xaba, lamented
that budgetary constraints and the absence of regulations in Parliamentary
Service Act of 2015 had presented challenges to the autonomy of the Parliament
and have led to significant compromises. This observation was made yesterday
when Parliament appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to respond
to audit queries raised by the auditor general (AG) during financial audits of
Parliament. The AG reported unclaimed and unaccounted for sundry departmental
deposits amounting to E32 000 as of March 31, 2021.
These funds were a balance remaining from a E50 000 donation made by a
government parastatal, Sincephetelo Motor Vehicle Accidents Fund (SMVAF),
towards the State Opening of Parliament in 2020. “There are many who wish to
support Parliament financially, but prefer to deal with Parliament directly
rather than depositing assistance into the consolidated fund.  This will help us
as Parliament to be independent, hence we need to push for a special account
which should be approved by Cabinet.
Independence
“This independence is crucial and we need to advocate for a special account
approved by the Cabinet,” Xaba stated.  “The law allows Parliament to open
the account with the Central Bank and we can do the resource mobilisation, but
it will be restricted, because we might find ourselves accepting wrong funding
that might compromise the Parliament operations. The account will have
regulations and be audited,” he said.
The PAC expressed concern that Parliament was receiving donations for its
activities, potentially putting it in compromising positions when dealing with
parastatals. Nhlambeni Member of Parliament (MP) and PAC Vice Chairperson Manzi
Zwane enquired if Parliament has a designated budget for the State Opening. He
said the availability of the designated budget was crucial to avoid Parliament
from being compromised due to donations.
“Ngabe akusilimati yini siyiPhalamende kutsatsa tintfo? (Does it not
compromise us as Parliament to take gifts) from people, yet Parliament plays an
oversight role? I have an interest in the received funds and the independence of
Parliament,” he said. “The vice chairperson has touched on a serious issue,
that of Parliament being compromised and the budget. I can say given the way we
operate, the issue of autonomy is a challenge,” said the clerk to Parliament,
as he was responding to the MP’s question.
Xaba made an example of the ongoing workshops organised by government ministries
and parastatals, noting that these workshops should be funded and planned by the
Parliament, to maintain neutrality and prevent compromises in decision-making
processes. “For example, Parliament needs to plan and finance parliamentarian
workshops, not government ministries or parastatals. But as it stands,
government ministries and enterprises are footing the bills of the workshops
that are planned for parliamentarians,” he said.
Xaba explained that in most instances, a ministry would invite parliamentarians
to a workshop in a hotel to discuss a budget that would be tabled and discussed
in the same House.
He said that alone, compromised the decisions that would be taken by the MPs.
The controlling officer said as a result, the MPs might end up agreeing to
something that under normal circumstances they would decline.Xaba said it could
be because of the gifts and the hotel stays. He said Parliament should be very
neutral; in fact it should be the one that invites the ministries. He noted that
these days many workshops were taking place, organised by ministries for
parliamentarians.
“To avoid this, Parliament should be resourced financially and be the one that
invites the ministries through the powers invested in the chairperson of the
portfolio and sessional committees. These portfolios should have their own
budgets. The chairperson should watch the minister with a hawk’s eye, but due
to the financial constraint and budget limitations, the Parliament oversight
role is compromised. This makes Parliament to be highly compromised,” he said.
Budget
Coming to the budget, Xaba said in other countries that were used for
benchmarking, the parliamentary budget was a no-go area unlike in the country.
He told the PAC that the Commonwealth is expected to be in the country in
October to assist with the autonomy of Parliament, through the benchmark
assessment exercise. The exercise, he said, would assist in the autonomy of the
Parliament. “It is very painful and embarrassing that the Parliament
controlling officer will run to government ministries for help like hiring
staff, which is through the CSC. We are targeting that in the next financial
year, the structure should be in order and the committees such as the finance
committee will have the autonomy.  It is very painful to note that after
debating the budget in Parliament and then get the least budget,” he said.
He expressed the need for financial independence and proper budgeting to avoid
compromising the oversight role of the House. Xaba stressed the importance of
budget autonomy for all three arms of government, emphasising the need for
proper funding to ensure the effective performance of the Parliament and other
governmental bodies.