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{
    "id": 797504,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/797504/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 181,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Mulu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1955,
        "legal_name": "Benson Makali Mulu",
        "slug": "benson-makali-mulu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for giving me this chance to also add my voice to this debate on the Supplementary Budget. I join my colleagues in appreciating the work which has been done by the Budget and Appropriations Committee in terms of looking at this important budget. Supplementary budgets are anchored in Article 223 of the Constitution. When you look at that Article, it says clearly that it will only take care of emergencies. There is also a provision which Members are not mentioning but which is also critical and it is the issue of regularising expenditures which were not foreseen but might require additional resources. It also caters for situations where you had planned to spend money but you are unable to spend because of unforeseen circumstances, you need to regularise that amount so that it does not appear like it was not spent. So, looking at that, this Supplementary Budget, in addition to what Members are saying, has some positive aspect of it and it is important to highlight it. In this Supplementary Budget, there is money for hiring additional teachers. We have challenges of teachers in this country. What is important is to see a situation where efforts are being made that we make provisions for hiring additional teachers. In the same budget, there is money to address some of the Collective Bargaining Agreements which have been done between workers and the Government. This country is having a lot of strikes as a result of workers complaining that their interests are not being taken care of. There is some provision that these strikes can be addressed by providing resources so that the Government can honour some of those agreements. Having said that, there are issues we must deal with as a House. I am very happy that it seems the mood of the 12th Parliament is changing towards proper budget-making, what I would call effective budget- making process. I am very happy when I see what Members are saying. Let me pick on the issue of reducing the development budget which has been mentioned by my colleagues. It is very unfortunate. The National Treasury will go ahead and tell us they have reduced a certain amount of billions in the development budget but nobody tells us the consequences of what they are doing in terms of economic growth because when you reduce the development budget, it will impact on economic growth, on interest rates and employment. The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}