Mudenda Says Parliament Is Underfunded
The Speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda has said Parliament is failing to fully execute its duties and responsibilities due to underfunding.
He proposed that from 2021 going forward, the institution should be adequately funded to enable it to diligently carry out its constitutional duties.
Speaking during a Parliament of Zimbabwe post-budget seminar in Harare following the 2021 budget presentation by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube, Mudenda pointed out that Parliament’s budget allocation of US$89 million for 2021 registered a 28% decline compared to US$124 million allocated in this year. He added:
I want us all to reflect back and take note of our deliberations during the past few years where, as Parliament, we called for complete separation of budgetary allocations within the different organs of government so as not to compromise the oversight role of Parliament.
In other jurisdictions, Parliament’s budget is not even debated or amended. It is just adopted as it is. Therefore, in order for Parliament as an oversight institution to accomplish its mandate effectively and efficiently during the year 2021 going forward, it is crucial that it be adequately funded so that it is able to fulfil its constitutional mandate consummately.
Mudenda also said called for the capacitation of the Auditor-General’s office saying it plays an essential role in curbing corruption in the country, only if it has the capacity to do so.
He also said that corruption undermines the trust between the citizens and the State adding that although the issue was common across jurisdictions, how communities dealt with it was different.
More: NewsDay
