BungeNe ewsletter

Issue No 008 June 2013

New Budget Cycle Shows Relavance For the first time in recent history the engage the government and influence it make sev- Parliament has managed to pass the next financial eral tangible changes in its initial budget proposals. year budget before the onset of that particular year. This has been made possible by the Budget Commit- This has been made possi- tee, another new innovation by Speaker Makinda. ble by adoption of new budget cycle. Under the old cycle, it was not possible to influence According to the new budget cycle, the Parliament the government to make changes in budgetary allo- starts discussing the budget in April as opposed to cations. That was because the main budget was read, old cycle where debate on the new budget started on debated and passed before the sectoral plans. After June and ends in the first or second week of August. the main budget was passed, it was impossible for the MPs and government to make changes in the When the decision was taken to implement the new sectoral budgets since they were supposed to reflect budget cycle and Speaker announced the main budget which had already been passed. the new modalities many people, including Mem- bers of Parliament, were skeptical. Many stakehold- These and many other changes have been made possi- ers were not so sure that the new cycle would work. ble through the five components implemented under the Parliament five years development plan. “Govern- But Ms Makinda has managed to prove the doubt- ment and Budget Oversight and Accountability is one ers wrong. Not only has the Parliament lived through of the Bunge five overarching components of the de- the first experience well, but MPs have been able to velopment plan and the Legislative Support Project

1 Many MPs have hailed Speaker Makinda for her for additional funding for various areas to be con- steadfast management of the new budget cycle. They sidered by the government. To allow for this, Budget noted that though the cycle was new, which created a Session timetable is set such that at the end of the in- lot of anxiety among MPs, Ms Makinda was focused dividual budget, there is a one week period during and kept the cycle on track and at the end of the day which the Budget Committee sits with the government everyone has seen the advantage of the new cycle. and discuss on how to accommodate the MP views.

“If it were not for Speaker firm stand on this and her Benefit of this has been seen this year. From MPs guidance whenever people went astray, this new cy- recommendations, the Budget Committee reviewed cle would not have been possible,” noted Mr Khalifa 71 specific requests for additional funding from ten Suleima Khalifa, the Gando legislator on CUF ticket. sectoral Parliamentary Committees. These requests totaled Sh654.21 billion. After consultations with the For his part, Tabora Urban MP, Mr Ismail Aden Rage government, the government agreed to provide Sh513 said after the Parliament has fulfilled its responsibility billion, equivalent to 78.42 per cent of total requests.. of debating and passing the budget before the onset of the new financial year, it was upon the government to “This not a small deed considering where we have fulfill part of its obligation but ensuring that funds, es- come from. This is great achievements considering pecially for development projects, are released on time. that we are practicing this cycle for the first time,” not- ed Mr , the chairman of the Budget Owing to the changes in the budget cy- Committee when giving a feedback on the work of his cle, the Parliament has been forced to change committee ahead of the reading of the main budget. its operating procedures, in order to con- form to the newly adopted cycle. The changes The procedure of discussing the individual budgets As opposed to old cycle, the budget cycle would ahead of the main budget gives MP freedom to air begin by the Parliament sitting as planning com- their views knowing that there is possibility for them mittee in its October/November session. In the old to be taken aboard. This was witnessed during the de- cycle, such activity was conducted in February. bate on various ministerial budgets. MPs were able to influence the government to agree to augment budg- This would facilitate the tabling, debating and ets for water and Rural Electrification, for instance. passing of budgets between April and June be- fore July 1, when the financial year begins. The Budget Committee has also assisted the govern- ment to consider the requests by the MPs. Such re- In the old cycle, the budget debated continued to quests are first processed by the committee and after August thus delaying the release of funds after the noting that they are important it engages the gov- commencement of a new financial year in July 1, be- ernment. During the dialogue, the committee does cause the Parliament was still discussing the budget. not only go with the requests, but also with propos- als on how the government could raise more mon- “Many development activities, especially those ey to carter for the requests for additional funding. slated to start in July, suffered because the govern- ment could not release the money for them un- Another advantage of the new cycle is that the Budg- til the Parliament session ended in August. The et Committee has been charged with responsibility months delay affected many projects and during of ensuring effective execution of the budget. Many that time the government could not collect any rev- MPs have been lamenting about delay in release of enue as there was no legal mandate for it to do so,” funds for development activities. As we have seen said Deputy Speaker, My when tabling above, the problem has been solved by the new cy- amendments to the Parliament Standing orders dur- cle which ensures that the discussion of the budget is ing the beginning of the budget session in April. concluded before the onset of the new financial year.

Under this new cycle, as we have hinted above, sectoral But there is also problem of reallocation. Many MPs budgets are discussed first and the main budget, which have decried the trend by some government officials as is summation of all the individual budgets, comes last. well as councils to reallocate the funds after they have This gives opportunity for MPs views, such as request been passed by the Parliament. Under the new cycle,

2 the Budget Committee will be required to ensure that ing to fail. But we all remained and worked as one. money is released timely. It is encouraging to note that in requirement of the new cycle, the government has “This is a new thing to all of us and like any oth- committed itself to give quarterly reports on the im- er new introduction, challenges are inevitable. plementation of the budget to the Budget Committee. What is important is that we should ensure that we don’t lose sight of what we want to achieve, that is what has kept us going,” said Ms Makinda.

He thanked the MPs, Budget Committee, other secto- ral committees, the government and other stakehold- ers for their support of the new cycle which has made it a success in its first year. She urged them to continue with the spirit as the cycle is refined and entrenched.

“We all agree that the cycle is good, therefore, we should ensure that we stick together as challeng- es will continue to come up. If we work together we will be able to make this cycle powerful and I am sure that it will help us solve many of prob- lems we are facing in budget execution,” she added. Minister for Finance Hon. Dr. William Mgim- wa displaying the suite case containing the Country’s Budget Speech for the financial year 2013/14 in Dodoma As noted by Speaker Makinda, the cycle has not been without challenges. When presenting his com- This would enable timely knowledge on what is going on mittee work, Mr Chenge outlined a number of chal- as far as budget implementation is concerned. This will, lenges including lack of budget discipline among in turn, allow timely interventions after consultations some public servants at central government as well between the government and the Budget Committee. as at council level. He noted that for the new cy- cle to work effectively, executives should stick to Because the Budget Committee will act as a im- the set regulations and avoid doing things as usual. mediate watchdog on how the budget is executed, many people hope that the problem of reallocation Mr Chenge was also of opinion that the real- will be minimized, if not abandoned altogether. location cycle, which is legal, should be im- proved by enacting a Budget Act which will But, what has made this new cycle work is stead- give the Parliament more power to supervise fast position taken by Speaker Anne Makinda. the implementation of the government budget. Every time problems over the implementation of the new cycle cropped up, Ms Makinda has been Mr Chenge also said the government should now ensure in the front to look for way around the problem. that release of money for development projects should start in the first quarter because debate on the budget Though she was skeptical like others, but she al- will be concluded before the new financial year begins. ways assured that she provided leadership which helped to make the cycle a success in its first year. “Introduction of the new budget cycle is one thing and its smooth implementation is quite an- “When we embarked on this new cycle every- other. Therefore, each stakeholder should make one was doubtful if we will be able to make the sure that he plays his part for the new cycle to be cycle work. When a problem cropped up, peo- seen as working for us,” concluded Mr Chenge. ple started to worry that the new structure is go-

3 Chairperson of the CWPG Hon. Anne Makinda giving her Head of the UK delegation who attended the CWPG seminar Rt. Hon Bar- opening remarks during the CWPG seminar in Dodoma. oness Armstrong, making her comments during the seminar in Dodoma.

TWPG hosts a Two-Day Seminar With their Counterparts From UK Parliament

The Tanzania Women Parliamentary Group pation within the political parties, and in the end (TWPG), which is a coalition of all Women Mem- be able to mentor as many colleagues as possible bers of Parliament at Tanzania National Assembly, to become successful women leaders who con- a chapter of a Global Commonwealth Women Par- tributes immensely in our country’s development. liamentarians (CWP), had a privilege of hosting their counterparts from the Westminster Parlia- This important and rare occasion organized jointly ment in the United Kingdom, a delegation of three by Women MPs caucuses from Tanzania and UK Women Parliamentarians and two parliamentary for knowledge and experience sharing was offi- staff members for a well-attended capacity building cially opened by Hon. Job Ndugai (MP), the Dep- seminar from across the parties in the Parliament. uty Speaker on behalf of the Speaker of the Na- tional Assembly. On his opening remarks, Hon. This important visit by UK Women Members of Par- Ndugai reiterated that the main goal of the semi- liament is a follow-up visit that stems from a longer- nar apart from empowering women Members of term collaboration between the Tanzanian and UK Parliament within and outside the parliament, Parliaments, after the Tanzanian eleven-member by so doing it is expected that the legislators will team of MPs visited the UK Parliament in January be benefiting from this important training, which 2012 under the auspice of the British High Commis- will eventually be good role models to positively sion in support of women parliamentarians, where it inspire other potential women to contest and excel was agreed to have UK MPs also visit Tanzania for in the political arena in the forthcoming elections. a knowledge-sharing seminar right here in Tanzania, for the sole purpose of enhancing their performance The head-of-delegation from the UK was Rt. as MPS who effectively delivers in their our core Hon Baroness Armstrong, with her colleague functions of representation, legislation and oversight. Hon. Baroness Thornton were the first to lead the open discussion on Selection and campaign- The two-day event that took place at the prominent ing aimed at strengthening women’s participa- Msekwa Hall as from the 8th to the 9th of June 2013 tion and leadership within their political parties. aimed at empowering Tanzanian Women Mem- In the same segment, the visiting MPs shared a bers of Parliament on various issues pertaining to great deal of knowledge on campaigning skills Parliamentary business. The main objectives of the and how best to engage with the electorate. seminar were to discuss and deliberate on parlia- mentary practice and procedures, building constitu- On her part, Hon. Baroness Thornton continued ent relationship and strengthening women’s Partici- to unpack more on campaigning strategies for re-

4 election, the art of public speaking, Constituent of- dence-based research inputs, as well as techniques of fice management and control, tackling the electorate involving academics, practitioners and civil societies. long list of demands among many others. She further shared techniques to employ while preparing for speak One of the biggest challenges facing most of the MPs, in parliament, whether delivering a speech, debating especially during election campaigns, as evidenced by on a bill or submitting a private motion, in which she majority of the members who shared their experience reiterated the importance of building self-confidence, was the financial constraints to finance campaigns on though preparation, presentation, personal appear- the part of most women. The advice given was to be ance, utterance and the art of looking-at-a crowd. more creative, using social networks, and look for support from those who support your cause among The second open discussion that mainly anchored on the workmate, school mates, successful business fel- the role of a Constituency MP whose main discussant lows, and tactfully engaging the community media was Mrs. Patricia Glass, a Member of Parliament from outlets that seem fair, friendly and objective to sup- the House of Commons in the UK, basically deliber- port them against their counter-part male contestants. ated on the techniques for building constituency rela- tionships, through engaging the electorate in order to On the part of resolutions made from the two-day dis- be able to identify the main concerns within constit- cussions made, the participants agreed among other uencies, what are the key priorities which the Con- things, the need for continued collaboration between stituent MP will be able to effectively represent them the Women caucuses, by building networks among at the Parliament for the government to act upon. members, and eventually building a lasting friend- ship. The call was made for continuity of exchange At the later stage, Mrs. Tracey Jessup, a Deputy Di- visits between the two Parliaments women members. rector in House of Commons Business Depart- ment, which is equivalent to the Table Office de- Another area resolved for continuity was on sus- partment in our case, made a presentation the tainable capacity building, since this an ongoing legislative process, with emphasis on the role of process through which individuals, groups, or- MPs is influencing enactment of sound legisla- ganizations and societies enhance their ability to tions. Her presentation mainly discussed on how identify and find ways to solve many developmen- a bill drafted, from its inception until it mature tal challenges we are facing. The seminar partici- through various stages to become a law of the land. pants also agreed on the need to ensure viable and continued capacity building sessions are organ- Mrs. Jessup further explained through her parlia- ized, specifically in areas of information finding and mentary experience in how a private member’s bill making good use of the same from the internet, par- is born when an MPs get involved with the concerns liament researchers, libraries and other stakeholders. of the electorate, then with the support of other partners, policy makers and staff members, can fi- Critically important was the need to employ mentor- nally propose a bill that may sail through as it is, or ing techniques aiming at raising effective women who in most cases being overtaken by the Minster who engage in political arena as career path for their com- may table it as a state Bill after some improvements. munity was something that was resolved that can’t be over-emphasized or afford to ignored. This was real- Another angle that the discussion was built about ized by confessions from many MPs who praised and was on how to be effective while working in a par- recognized the role played by the TWPG Chair, Hon. liamentary committee. Hon. Glass further explained Anna Abdallah (MP), who undauntedly inspired a the usefulness of public hearings in legislation pro- younger generation of women MPs who came to par- cess, where different stakeholders, players and indi- liament through special seats, to build their capacity vidual citizens can engage with the MPs, before sit- by being politically active enough and eventually com- ting alone as Members of the House to digest and peted in constituency level and won even against men. consolidate on the measures the proposed bill is expected to achieve. She elaborated on the perfor- During her closing remarks to mark the official end- mance benchmarks for an effective committee, from ing of the knowledge-sharing programme, the Chair- its leadership, members’ engagement, finding evi- person of the Tanzania chapter Women Parliamentar-

5 ians caucus, famously known as TWPG, Hon. Anna fifty-by-fifty gender parity come next elections. Abdallah (MP) appreciated that the two-day seminar She further stressed that those capacity gaps identi- made a valuable contribution to enhancing the capac- fied during the frank and constructive discussions ity on parliamentary practice and procedures among during the tow-day seminar, the TWPG Secretariat women MPs who fully participated the programme. will be following them up and in order to explore best ways to address them through practical capac- She reiterated that this exchange visit programme ity-building programmes. She ended by arguing apart from immensely contributing in improv- all women MPs across political parties, that should ing the capacity of women legislators by deepening continue to encourage and support one another their knowledge and skills in political processes, it throughout the remaining parliamentary life and has also equipped them the more timely as Tanzania keep identifying whom to send their mentorship and is currently in the process of drafting a new Con- support of all kinds, in a bid to win the next election. stitution, that has recognized the need to achieve

6 Oman delegation Visits to Tanzania

Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Anne Makinda Speaker of the National Assembly Hon. Anne Makinda with her counterpart the Speaker of the Sultanate of Oman with her counterpart the Speaker of the Sultanate of Oman Sheikh Khalid Bin Nasir Al Maawal signing the MOU to Sheikh Khalid Bin Nasir Al Maawal in group photo with establish the Tanzania - Oman Parliamentarian Friend- the Delegation from Oman and Members of Parliamentary ship when he visited Tanzania with his delegation recently. Service Commision from Tanzania afterigning the MOU to establish the Tanzania - Oman Parliamentarian Friend- ship when he visited Tanzania with his delegation recently.

Clerk of the National Assembly of Tanzania Dr. Thomas Kashili- Staff from Parliament Said Yakub showing ani- lah presenting a gift to the Secretary General of the Majlis mals in Serengerti to the Speaker of the Sultanate A’Shura of the Sultanate of Oman Sheikh Nassser Al Mahruki of Oman Sheikh Khalid Bin Nasir Al Maawal when when the Delegation of Oman visited Tanzania recently he visited the Park with his delegation this month.

Produced by: Department of Information, Civic Education,and International Relations, Parliament Office, DAR ES SALAAM

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