2023-12-04 00:20:04
In a session that lasted several hours on Thursday, November 30, the Congress of the Republic with 115 votes approved decree 18 – 2023, which gives life to the national budget for next year, with an amount of Q124,879 million.
The approval was recorded during the plenary session that lasted until the night of that Thursday, the day the deadline expired; However, as the hours went by, reactions began to emerge claiming that the budget does not respond to the interests of the people of Guatemala.
Three days have passed since the approval by the disputed parties and the rejection reactions are growing, such as those published this Sunday, December 3.
One of these is that of the Council of Trustees of the Foundation for the Development of Guatemala (Fundesa).
He highlighted that Fundesa’s technical health commission has recommended that the Ministry of Public Health generate more specific criteria that make allocations to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) transparent, and to do so develop manuals on competencies for certain contributions.
He added that the 2024 general budget approved by the plenary session of the Congress of the Republic, leaves specific allocations to NGOs, some recently created, without criteria on the necessary powers for the resources that will be disbursed to them, thus limiting the oversight capacity for achieve adequate social development based on planning and monitoring of execution, which promote the efficiency and transparency of public spending.
“This only generates greater corruption,” he said.
He highlighted that within the technical proposals presented at the National Meeting of Entrepreneurs, by Fundesa, the important need to eliminate the allocation to specific projects that do not have pre-investment studies has been emphasized, as well as the urgency of having payment contracts. by indicators, which help to make the quality of the investment transparent.
He noted that the approved budget allocates funds to specific projects of the Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, with budget readjustments, for significant amounts, to finance works and projects that were not in the Ministry’s plans according to the budget project originally sent by the Agency. Executive, so the use of such resources can be questionable and opaque.
“As expressed in previous statements, the approved budget also threatens macroeconomic stability, since the payment to the Bank of Guatemala was not reimbursed for its net deficiencies, which is why the fiscal deficit would be close to 2% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is extremely worrying,” he warned.
He added that “Additionally, the State of Guatemala was left at risk of falling into paralysis in the placement or relocation of debt, since the Government must have prior approval from Congress to issue, negotiate or place Treasury Bonds, up to an amount equal to the maturities that occur during the current fiscal year. This negatively affects the country risk rating, since the bonds that mature next year for an amount close to Q6,260.9 million could not be relocated, according to the Ministry of Finance itself.”
Fundesa requested: “For these and other technical reasons we recommend that the President of the Republic veto decree 18-2023 of the 2024 General Budget.”
We recommend that the President of the Republic veto decree 18-2023 of the 2024 General Budget.#FundesaCommunication ???????? pic.twitter.com/a1477WxU3S
— FUNDESA (@FUNDESA) December 3, 2023
While citizens represented in the Citizen Front Against Corruption expressed their “deep” rejection of the approval of the Nation’s 2024 income and expenditure budget by Congress.
“We consider that this budget, far from representing progress in the management of public resources, perpetuates vices and practices that have historically facilitated corruption in the country,” he said.
He reiterated: “We are concerned that, despite citizens’ efforts to demand transparency and efficiency in the administration of public resources, the approved budget does not reflect a real commitment to these fundamental principles.”
He added that instead of moving towards responsible management aligned with the priority needs of the population, the budget maintains structures and allocations that have been a source of embezzlement and corrupt practices in the past.
Given this scenario, he made an urgent call to the president of the Republic to exercise his power of veto on this budget and promote a comprehensive restructuring that guarantees true attention to the needs of the Guatemalan population.
He indicated that it is imperative that a budget be established that serves collective interests, avoiding undue privileges and promoting equity in the distribution of resources.
He urged that this restructuring be done with the participation of civil society, allowing a transparent and democratic process that reflects the true needs of the population.
“Transparency in public management is essential to rebuild trust in institutions and move towards a more just and prosperous Guatemala,” he reiterated.
He reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against corruption and to continue working tirelessly to ensure that public resources are administered ethically, efficiently and for the benefit of all Guatemalan society.
Furthermore, the Freedom and Development Foundation in a statement noted: “A congress dominated by criminals could only produce a budget dedicated to corruption.”
Read also: Treasury Bonds: Business sector asks to “correct errors” in the approved 2024 budget and warns of consequences if not done so
He added that the “Nation must reject this budget of shame as illegal, immoral and offensive and if the president has an ounce of decency left, he must veto it.”
“Only the audacity and cynicism of the infamous political class that misgoverns our country are greater than their ignorance and recklessness,” he pointed out.
???????????? #Communiqué | The deputies betrayed, once again, the people of Guatemala pic.twitter.com/RCxB2A8Mww
— Freedom and Development Foundation (@FundacionLD) December 3, 2023
— Citizen Front Against Corruption (@fccc_gt) December 3, 2023
#Rejection #grows #sectors #point #approval #lends #corruption #vetoed