Tuesday, 20 September 2011 21:50 Myo Thant
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A report on a US$ 2.7 billion budget shortfall for the 2011-12 fiscal year submitted by the Lower House Public Accounts Committee on Monday went without discussion by MPs in Tuesday’s Parliament session.
On Monday, the Public Accounts Committee informed the Upper House that the total budget deficit for 2011-12 fiscal year was 2,371.945 billion kyat.
Upper House Deputy Speaker Mya Nyein said that MPs could register to discuss the budget on Tuesday, but no MP registered to speak on the issue. The Upper House just recorded the budget report by the Public Accounts Committee chairman San Pye and proceeded to other business.
MPs told Mizzima that they did not want to discuss the report because there were no members of the government on the Public Accounts Committee.
Phone Myint Aung of the New National Democracy Party said: “If there were officials from the ministries on the committee, we would eagerly discuss it. But the committee is made up of MPs, so if we want to put questions, we must ask them. We all are MPs, so we don’t want to intervene with other MPs. We don’t want to invade on the interests of others.”
According to the Public Accounts Committee report, the budget deficit for the central government for the 2011-12 fiscal year is 2,201.45 billion kyat and the budget deficit for state and regional governments is 170.495 billion kyat.
The report did not reveal how budget expenditures were divided among ministries or government sectors or the amount of budget deficits that were accrued for each sector, according to MPs.
An MP said: “The committee’s members don’t want to disclose the information to people outside the committee. The committee just gave a summary [of the budget deficit] to the Upper House.”
The 15-member Public Accounts Committee was formed on March 3. It comprises MPs from the Upper House and the Lower House. Members of the committee have faced financial problems such as travel costs incurred while auditing government ministries, according to MPs.
Underscoring the problems in Burma’s finances, in spite of the current deficit many ministries are still woefully underfunded.
In August, Mizzima reported that Health Minister Dr. Pe Thet Khin told MPs that his department received a very small health budget––about 43 percent of its essential needs.
The shortfall will cause a lack of medicine and services in government hospitals, he said. The minister said his agency needed 8 billion kyat per year but received 3.5 billion kyat.
Tin Yu, a Union Solidarity of Development Party MP from Rangoon Region constituency No. 11, questioned the minister on health care services in government hospitals in states and regions. Pe Thet Khin said that medicines were insufficient in government clinics and hospitals, and they would be unable to provide adequate health services.
In March, at the first regular parliamentary session, MP Dr. Sai Kyaw Ohn of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party [SNDP] made a motion to set up a state health programme to grant free public health care services to low-income people. Former Health Minister Dr. Kyaw Myint replied that Burma used a cost-sharing system and rejected the suggestion.
Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – A report on a US$ 2.7 billion budget shortfall for the 2011-12 fiscal year submitted by the Lower House Public Accounts Committee on Monday went without discussion by MPs in Tuesday’s Parliament session.
On Monday, the Public Accounts Committee informed the Upper House that the total budget deficit for 2011-12 fiscal year was 2,371.945 billion kyat.
Upper House Deputy Speaker Mya Nyein said that MPs could register to discuss the budget on Tuesday, but no MP registered to speak on the issue. The Upper House just recorded the budget report by the Public Accounts Committee chairman San Pye and proceeded to other business.
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| Burmese members of Parliament in traditional dress during a session in Naypyitaw. Photo: Mizzima |
MPs told Mizzima that they did not want to discuss the report because there were no members of the government on the Public Accounts Committee.
Phone Myint Aung of the New National Democracy Party said: “If there were officials from the ministries on the committee, we would eagerly discuss it. But the committee is made up of MPs, so if we want to put questions, we must ask them. We all are MPs, so we don’t want to intervene with other MPs. We don’t want to invade on the interests of others.”
According to the Public Accounts Committee report, the budget deficit for the central government for the 2011-12 fiscal year is 2,201.45 billion kyat and the budget deficit for state and regional governments is 170.495 billion kyat.
The report did not reveal how budget expenditures were divided among ministries or government sectors or the amount of budget deficits that were accrued for each sector, according to MPs.
An MP said: “The committee’s members don’t want to disclose the information to people outside the committee. The committee just gave a summary [of the budget deficit] to the Upper House.”
The 15-member Public Accounts Committee was formed on March 3. It comprises MPs from the Upper House and the Lower House. Members of the committee have faced financial problems such as travel costs incurred while auditing government ministries, according to MPs.
Underscoring the problems in Burma’s finances, in spite of the current deficit many ministries are still woefully underfunded.
In August, Mizzima reported that Health Minister Dr. Pe Thet Khin told MPs that his department received a very small health budget––about 43 percent of its essential needs.
The shortfall will cause a lack of medicine and services in government hospitals, he said. The minister said his agency needed 8 billion kyat per year but received 3.5 billion kyat.
Tin Yu, a Union Solidarity of Development Party MP from Rangoon Region constituency No. 11, questioned the minister on health care services in government hospitals in states and regions. Pe Thet Khin said that medicines were insufficient in government clinics and hospitals, and they would be unable to provide adequate health services.
In March, at the first regular parliamentary session, MP Dr. Sai Kyaw Ohn of the Shan Nationalities Democratic Party [SNDP] made a motion to set up a state health programme to grant free public health care services to low-income people. Former Health Minister Dr. Kyaw Myint replied that Burma used a cost-sharing system and rejected the suggestion.
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