Making of government budget is a shameful procedure in Maldives. First the ministry of finance requests government offices to send their estimated budget. Most offices just increase last years budget knowing that finance ministry will cut their budget as usual. So in the end they will get what they really need. Most offices main concern is overseas training budget. In finance ministry, its all about reducing budget expenditure to a pre-decided total budget figure. On income estimates, its all about showing that its a balanced budget even though they are sure that income target is unrealistic. They are good at doing this by keeping their junior staffs awake day and night for over a month. Next is PSIP. This is the annual reward for the majlis members for staying loyal to government. Every member is given a project in budget for their constituency. It may not reflect national development plans or manifesto goals. Its all about publicity and popularity for majlis members. Next is businesses that fund government elections. They make sure there are enough spending by government for construction, health and education so that they can earn fortunes from public tax money. During this process, finance minister and other cabinet ministers are busy in lobbying meetings. They make sure their posts are secured with backing of businesses and majlis members. Finally budget gets passed, public forgets and we have no idea how it actually was spent. These powerful people know our society well and that they could afford to do this again and again. Because we dont care.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 07:49:00 +0000
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