MARTIN’S BUDGET BOUNCES BACK

LOBAMBA – Once again Members of Parliament (MPs) have been left with an egg on their faces.

This is after they unanimously agreed to allow the Finance Minister, Martin Dlamini, to reintroduce the Appropriation Bill No.1 of 2017 (Budget), which they had rejected just last week Wednesday.

Needless to say, Cabinet had the last laugh because as early as this morning, the different Portfolio Committees will start debating the various budgets under ministries.

So defeated were the MPs that they even unprecedentedly voted against debating the Budget Speech and instead agreed to just continue with the committee sittings that commence this morning.
It was clear that the MPs’ fate had long been sealed as immediately after their caucus, the schedule for the portfolio committees was distributed, which proved that it had been prepared prior to the decision being made.

Many of the MPs left the House in a solemn mood, and in small groups discussed and wondered why Parliament was even in place if none of their views would be considered yet they had been elected by the people.

Cabinet ministers on the other hand were in high spirits and walked over to shake hands with the MPs whom they felt had supported them.
The PM Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini, also confidently strolled out once the voting had been done and it was his Deputy Paul Dlamini who ended yesterday’s sitting.

When the House resumed its sitting at 2:30pm yesterday, the Speaker, Themba Msibi, highlighted that the day’s Order Paper had the tabling of the ministries annual performance reports, and at the end of the day’s business was the Appropriation Bill, 2017, which had to be reintroduced in the House.

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