Members of parliament have commended government for promoting locally made products and services, saying that this would go a long way in improving people’s livelihoods. The different legislators spoke shortly after the Minister for Finance and Economic Planning; Dr. Uzziel Ndagijimana unveiled the 2018/19 budget to a joint parliamentary session yesterday. MP Abbas Mukama commended the government for listening to the input from the locals and parliament where there was the general consensus on slashing the recurrent budget in favour of boosting the development budget. “I am very happy. They listened and now all this money is going into development projects,” said Mukama, who is the Deputy Speaker for finance and administration. He added that another plus was the zero tax that has been levied on raw materials. “The industries should transform and improve their productivity while at the same time creating employment opportunities,” he said. Mukama also pointed out that the funds are now allocated evenly and this was an opportunity to add value and to be accountable to taxpayers. “The programmes that the money is set out to fund are clear. Anyone who mismanages these funds should be held accountable,” Mukama said. MP Fidel Rwigamba told The New Times that he was impressed by the plan to keep investing in Rwandair as well as initiatives that will build Rwanda’s capacity to become an investment, tourism and conference destination. MP Emmanuella Mukanyabyenda told fellow legislators that this year’s budget reflects the determination and commitment that the government has toward improving the welfare of its people. “There are impressive areas like the building of the Ndiza model village which have contributed to the general outlook of the people who live there,” she said. Mukanyabyenda, however, suggested that Ndagijimana look into how best and fast the government can refurbish Kabgayi Hospital. “I would like to request that the hospital be considered in the next budget or even in the midterm reviews because the infrastructure is really outdated, especially the maternity ward,” she said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
