The Finance Bill, prepared by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance and adopted by the government for almost three weeks, has still not come into the hands of parliamentarians, contrary to what the law requires. In the meantime, and this is what civil society firmly condemns, the population is entitled to some entertainment. Annoyance and anger increase.
as reported from Antananarivo, Sarah Tétaud
National tour of the South African singer at the start of the planetary success of the title “Jerusalem”, although the borders are closed, massive gatherings were tolerated to celebrate the return of the Ivory Coast in Madagascar’s footballers, without respect for barrier gestures … For civil society, the government maintains its people to create a better diversion.
But what happens behind the scenes? Where has this finance bill for 2021 gone, which according to a government announcement was still adopted by the CEO on 30 October?
According to LOLF, the 2004 Finance Act, members of the Riksdag have thirty days to vote or reject the bill. They would therefore only have ten days left to study and debate a text that will regulate the country’s public spending for the coming year. For Hony Radert, representative of the collective for citizens and civic organizations (CCOC), it is a danger.
“What is problematic with the fact that it has still not happened in the National Assembly is that we will still have a vote in a hurry. And this time we may be able to blame the deputies, but there is also some of the responsibility for the CEO that is still quite recurring recently, she explains.
“Ministry does not respect the law”
“Not having enough time to review the budget law, that means we will not be able to look at the priorities. Are the priorities that will appear in the budget the people? Will we get the increases where we asked for them for priority sectors such as social sectors, for anti-corruption bodies, for public financial control bodies in relation to loans, public investment? », she adds.
Today, the Subcommittee on Public Finances says it has not yet received the text.
“It is a problem because the Ministry of Finance does not respect the law without invoking any reasons to justify the delay. It gives the impression that we do not care about the lives of citizens. It is a lack of respect on the part of the ministries, the state towards the citizens, for which they should still be responsible. And we create a diversion with different things at the same time as the financial account. However, it should be at the center of the discussions, at the center of the communication given the importance of the issues we should find in it, says Hony Radert, representative of CCOC.
When we were contacted, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance did not respond to our requests.
►Read also: Madagascar: the amended Finance Act published without decisive annexes
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