Economic organizations called on MPs on Monday to vote for the budget with its amendments to avoid having it be promulgated by decree.
On the eve of Parliament’s general sessions scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday to examine the draft budget for fiscal year 2024, the economic organizations issued a statement in which they called on MPs and parliamentary blocs to attend the sessions and ensure a quorum. This is needed to prevent the considerable efforts made by the parliamentary Finance and Budget Committee from going up in smoke. The committee, which is led by MP Ibrahim Kanaan and various stakeholders, particularly the economic organizations, undertook these efforts to remedy the major distortion included in the initial version of the 2024 budget prepared by the government.
They expressed their fear of “going backwards” and putting the budget “ball” back in the government’s court, which would allow it to be approved by decree and not on the basis of the amendments made by the Finance and Budget Committee, which “converge in many respects with the observations and suggestions of the economic bodies.”
On this basis, the economic bodies called on MPs and parliamentary blocs to assume their national responsibilities by confronting any attempt “not to ensure a quorum” and urged them to vote for the budget in accordance with the amendments made to prevent its promulgation by decree in the Council of Ministers and avoid a return to the now obsolete 2022 budget.
They considered that this budget lacks reform and long-term vision. “It’s not ideal, but it’s the best that’s currently possible,” they said, stressing the need to adopt it with the amendments made, in the interests of citizens and to preserve the public and private sectors so that they remain productive.
