Budget bonanza for the rich, gnashing of teeth for the poor
This year’s budget promises an unprecedented bonanza for the few and gnashing of teeth by many for this is a government of the few, by the few and for the few, the Leader of Opposition Dithapelo Keorapetse has predicted.
For Keorapetse, a number of issues require greater management of expectations on this year’s budget, which comes at a time when the cost of living is very high and still rising amid poverty and unemployment.
Recurrent budget has been increased by almost P7 billion and development revised upwards by about P5 billion. In terms of the draft estimates of expenditure from the consolidated and development funds, government intends to spend P76, 917,447 007 as recurrent budget and P21, 007, 860, 353 for development.
The nation awaits with bated breath to find out if this increased budget will solve the crisis of unemployment and underemployment, poverty, wealth and income inequalities and citizen economic disempowerment, as well as crisis in health and education.
The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) contends that failure to set measurable targets will result in less action and insignificant impact of this year’s budget, Keorapetse, who is also Member of Parliament for Selibe-Phikwe West, said.
He said that UDC knows that the bulk of the development budget will, “as a matter of fact”, enrich more foreigners and naturalised citizens and a few connected political elites who will receive kickbacks instead of indigenous black African Batswana.
“We won’t realise greater diversification of the economy with this budget," he said, adding that he does not think the country has begun to transform into a technologically advanced society with an economy that can withstand shocks.
The expectation of the UDC, according to Keorapetse, is for the government to address health crisis with these revised estimates, to address shortage of drugs in public health facilities and to maintain these facilities, as well as to procure equipment and or machinery such as CT Scan, X-rays, Anaesthesia machines, defibrillators, electrosurgical units, patient monitors, ECG machines and other basic equipment.
“We hope for more employment of doctors, specialists, nurses and health support staff. UDC expects an announcement of increased hospital beds to ease pressure in health facilities.
“We expect that part of the P10.3 billion to be allocated for Ministry of Health under recurrent funding to result in more ambulances. UDC is concerned that this government spends more per capita on health but with worse outcomes than countries which spend less and we expect new strategies to make sure that the end user gets value for money.”
The LOO noted that as UDC has predicted, government has lied that P29 billion plus will be used for development projects this coming financial year, unless a miracle happens before it ends. The current budget is almost P10 billion short of what has been promised under the two-year Transitional National Development Plan, he said.
He pointed out that whilst the development budget is revised upwards by about P5 billion, UDC takes a position that there is no guarantee that within this year all the projects will be completed or that services will reach the people, adding that this government’s notoriety of failure to complete projects within budget and schedule and with major defects is not about to vanish.
“What miracle has been done to ensure effective and efficient implementation of projects? What has been done to mitigate disputes in the tendering system which results in appeals and litigations that delay projects?
“What has been done to build capacity for implementation in departments such as DBES and Technical Department in the Ministry of Education? Let us see more safety and security for Batswana through the envisaged P9.8 billion budget for Defence and Security, as well as better working conditions for our police and military personnel.
“We expect more police visibility and better resourced police service. We hope for more decentralisation of services with the P8.2 billon for local Government, especially with new districts councils inaugurated,” Keorapetse said.