Galolhu South MP Meekail Accuses Government of Submitting Budget 'Full of Deception'

Member of the People's Majlis for Galolhu South constituency Meekail Ahmed Naseem has said the state budget submitted by the government is a budget full of deception, prepared without project details and in a manner that makes accountability impossible. Speaking on RaajjeTV's "Falasurukhi" programme, Member Meekail said that previously what was submitted to the Majlis was a programme budget prepared in a way where the details of projects were clearly trackable and where it was easy to hold the government accountable. But with the coming of this government, that reform step had been pushed back, he said. "In the budget now being submitted, what is actually being said is that we want this amount, and we will not say anything about what will be done. Here are things that could be done, so pass this for us. To put it most simply, the government is saying: stamp this budget with a rubber stamp just as we say," Meekail said. Member Meekail said that when submitting this government's third budget for passage, the people must be clearly told what happened to the two budgets passed before it. In that regard, although the government's first budget was said to be a housing budget and MVR 1.8 billion was allocated, by the time the year ended and up to 1 November of the third year, not even 53 percent of that budget had been touched, he said. On PSIP projects, Member Meekail said the opposition will always give support to carry out things that benefit the people. However, he said it is not a fact to say that 70 percent of PSIP projects will be completed next year when projects from previously passed budgets have not been carried out. "When this year's budget was submitted, it was also being estimated that the percentage of debt would decrease. That too is a definite lie; it is by adding up the total figures of these gentlemen without including domestic debt that it is being used as a talking point in this debate," Meekail said. Member Meekail said that, in the same way other matters of the government are being run, this budget too is a budget submitted amid very major deceptions and deceit.