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{
    "id": 101071,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/101071/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 305,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Mungatana",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 185,
        "legal_name": "Danson Buya Mungatana",
        "slug": "danson-mungatana"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I want to second this very nice amendment. I want to congratulate hon. Ogindo for coming up with this amendment which seeks to amend the Minister’s request, so that he gets only a quarter of the Vote on Account. I want to explain it very simply. First, we have a lot of respect for him, but he must put his foot down with the Treasury officials. I am glad they are here listening. Traditionally, we have approved 50 per cent of the Vote on Account for the simple reason that the Budgeting process would go all the way to November. This means that the Government requires from June to November, a time of about six months or half the year, money to operate. I would agree with the Minister sincerely, if it was last year and he says: I need money to operate the Government for six months up to November, because that is when the Appropriation Bill would be passed and that is when he will have the full Vote to run the Government. Therefore, he needed 50 per cent of the money for six months. He needs to tell the Treasury that we have passed the Fiscal Management Act. This Act says that the entire period for making the Budget and the whole Budget process will be two months and not six months any more. He needs to tell the Treasury that they do not do business as usual. It is no longer the six months. We do not need to vote 50 per cent. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, it makes no sense for us to approve one half of the Budget, which is for six months, and yet the Appropriation Bill must be passed by this House within a period of two months. So, let us talk about the two months. This point must be made. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, personally, said in this House today that the Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) is going to be paid automatically. He said that these are above the statutory deductions. So, nothing is going to stop. What the Chairman of the Committee on Finance raised was very valid. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance said this is not going to stop. Statutory deductions will continue. What we are saying is that, there is no Ministry that is going to collapse in these two months. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance should be telling us that he needs money to operate the Government for two months. That is what needs to come out in his application. We are very disappointed that he has allowed the---"
}