Presidency held meeting 21.07.2023 on 2023/2024 national budget/Presidential Press Unit courtesy

The Presidency has urged the peace parties to unite and ensure the passing of the national budget to satisfy the salary scales of the civil servants, military and the organized forces.

Currently, a two-point-one trillion-pound budget for the fiscal year 2023/2024 is under scrutiny by the national legislature.

The budget proposed a 400-percent increment of current civil servants’ salaries. It also allocated 50 billion pounds for implementation of the peace deal.

On Friday, the presidency convened a meeting and discussed the status of the budget.

“The meeting  aimed to discuss the issue of the budget with regards to the deficits as a result of any changes which are pre-made in the parliament in relation to make it passable or how to satisfy specially the salary scale,”said the Presidential Affairs Minister Dr Barnaba Marial Benjamin.

The Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs Tut Gatluak, Cabinet and Finance Ministers Dr Elia Lumoro and Dier Tong Ngor as well as other political party leaders  attended.

Minister Marial said the presidency agreed that the parties meet as  caucuses in the parliament to unify their positions in passing the national budget..

“The Presidency agreed that these parties will meet their caucuses in the parliament to unify their positions with regard to passing  the budget which must be based on the agreement that the government is united and agreed as a single body,” he said.

Dr Marial added that the peace principals also discussed the issue of revenue and how to increase revenue from oil production by 40.000 barrels per day saying this is to “will help the government to resolve all the concerns.”   

Last week the national Minister of Information told members of parliament not to exaggerate the issue of the draft 2023-2024 budget, saying it was designed based on the reality of resource estimation.

Makuei was responding to some members of parliament blaming the executive branch of the government for their failure to create a budget that adequately addresses the needs of the people.