MDC-T to oppose ‘anti-people’ budget

via MDC-T to oppose ‘anti-people’ budget 13/01/2014 NewZimbabwe

THE opposition MDC-T party has vowed to oppose the 2014 national budget in Parliament saying Finance Ministry Patrick Chinamasa’s fiscal plan for the year was against the poor.

Paurina Mpariwa, the party’s Shadow Minister for Labour and Social Welfare told journalists at a press briefing last week that her party would not support the budget.

“There is nothing for the people; for the poor it is nothing to write home about because they were not listened to. There is nothing for the workers hence the MDC will not support it,” Mpariwa said.

The committees’ stage of the national budget began on Monday with a pre-budget seminar and will culminate with debate in the House of Assembly to pass the budget into law.

However, with a two thirds majority in Parliament President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF party is likely to railroad the budget through in order to adhere to constitutional provisions that require the government to have a budget by January 31.

Tsvangirai’s party lost its slight parliamentary majority after the general elections in July last year in which it suffered its worst defeat since formation 14 years ago.

However the labour-backed movement has warned of an impending economic implosion arguing Mugabe’s Zanu PF party has failed to stem the economic slide since winning the July poll.

“Under the government of national unity in the past four years workers got their salaries in time and received bonuses. However in just four months Zanu PF failed to pay salaries let alone bonuses.

“They have nothing to offer and clueless on the way forward. The only solution to this country’s problems is a fresh election that is credible, free and fair and not another grand theft as happened in 2013,” said Mpariwa.

“We will not fail. We have been on holiday and now readying ourselves to deliver. The MDC-T has no argument and no thought out arguments. We are aware that the inclusive government destroyed the economy and we will revive it,” Gumbo said.