HARARE – Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Professor Mthuli Ncube says he was disappointed by the MDC Alliance Members of Parliament who snubbed his budget presentation on Thursday despite the fact that the opposition legislators contributed immensely to the national budget formulation.
Professor Ncube said this at the Post Budget breakfast meeting held in the capital on Friday, organised by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation in conjunction with Zimpapers.
Professor Ncube said the MDC-A members of Parliament had contributed in the making of the budget as democratic consultations were made and the greater part of the contributions had come from the opposition camp.
“I must admit that I was disappointed by the failure by the MDC-A members of parliament to turn up for the presentation in Parliament,” said the minister.
“When we held the pre-budget consultations, the members of Parliament from the MDC-A were present and they made very important contributions on the budget and I was expecting to see them when I was making the presentation.”
Meanwhile, the Zanu-PF National Spokesperson, Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo issued a statement on the boycott by the MDC Alliance members of Parliament, saying it was self-defeating.
“The MDC-A members of Parliament boycott of the Budget speech by the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, is self-defeating and an embarrassment to those who elected them to Parliament,” read the statement.
“Instead of being members of Parliament they are indeed Missing Persons. The minister’s budget speech was generally well-received by all patriotic Zimbabweans given the economic challenges the country is facing.”
The MDC-A parliamentarians through their spokesperson, Daniel Molokelo, boycotted the presentation saying they had a funeral to attend in Marondera regardless of some of them being seen at the Parliament building before the budget presentation.
The stance by the opposition members of Parliament has not been shocking as prior to this they have been walking out of Parliament.
