The House of Representatives voted in January this year returning to the Executive under President Boakai’s rule, the draft National Budget earlier submitted by his predecessor, Mr. Weah, to enable the new administration to realign its agenda in the budget.
By Bridgett Milton
Monrovia, Thursday, February 29:-Bong County Electoral District #6 Representative Moima Briggs Mensah has raised a red flag against the Executive branch’s delay in submitting Liberia’s National Budget without any formal communication to the House of Representatives stating a reason.
Ex-President George Manneh Weah’s regime submitted a budget before its exit, but the House of Representatives in January this year returned the instrument to the Executive to allow the Boakai-led regime to realign its agenda in the budget.
But Rep. Mensah said the Minister of Finance and Development Planning needs to explain to the House of Representatives the reasons for the delay in the submission of the 2024 National Fiscal Budget.
“Speaker and Colleagues, resulting out of communication from the Co-Chair on Ways, Means, and Finance Committee, Hon. Ellen Attoh Wreh, and in the spirit of coordination, the House of
Representative unanimously voted to send back the 2024 Nation Fiscal Budget to the Executive,” she explained.
Mensah said the budget was returned for proper adjustment and realignment to suit the President’s 100-day deliverables and his ‘ARREST’ platform for the collective achievement of the nation.
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Unfortunately, she lamented, the Ministry of Finance has ignored a 15 February 2024 mandate associated with the submission of the budget as communicated to the Ministry by the House of Representatives.
She said President Boakai’s vision dubbed Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, Tourism (ARREST) is defined as the development path set for the development of the country.
As such, Representative Mensah argued that the earlier implantation depends on the submission of this year’s 2024 fiscal budget.
Mensah added that the delay in submitting the budget has been four days as at the time she had raised her concern with her colleagues.
She urged that the House should ascertain reasons for such delay without any formal communication from the Finance Ministry stating the reasons for the delay.
She said it is her fervent hope that plenary acts collectively in the interest of the country as always.
Following her submission, the House Plenary mandated its Chief Clerk, Mildred Sayon, to write a communication to the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, reminding him to resubmit the budget.
