BY JOY OFASIA
Peter Shannel Agovaka, leader of Independent Group, MP for Central Guadalcanal has called on the Government to withdraw its motion seeking authority for continued expenditure and instead prepare and present a full 2027 national budget to Parliament before the end of the year.
Speaking in Parliament on Monday, Agovaka said the motion was not merely a technical or procedural matter, but one with direct consequences for the Government’s policy commitments and the country’s economy.
Agovaka said that approving the motion would effectively allow the Government to enter 2027 operating under the previous Government’s budget until a new Appropriation Act is passed.
““Withdraw this motion. Go back to the drawing board. Prepare the 2027 budget,” Agovaka told Parliament.
“Bring it to Parliament this year. Let this Parliament scrutinise it. And let the Parliament debate it,” he said.
Agovaka questioned how the Government could implement its new policies while relying on a budget prepared under the previous GNUT Government.
“With a new Government coming into office, with a new set of policy, but then seeking to operate these policies on the previous Government’s budget,” he said.
Agovaka said the Government had already demonstrated its ability to prepare financial legislation through two supplementary budgets and argued that there was sufficient manpower to prepare the 2027 budget.
“This Government has demonstrated that it can prepare a budget. It has done so with two supplementary budgets, and we see no reason why it cannot come up with the 2027 budget, given we have three months left,” he said.
He also pointed to the Government’s policy commitments, including free education, health and infrastructure, saying those policies would require clear financial backing.
“Policies need finance to run the programme,” Agovaka said, stressing that the national budget was the main instrument for turning Government policies into action.
He called on the finance minister to provide certainty to the public ahead of January 2027 by ensuring the Government’s policies are supported by appropriated funds.
“We should not reach January 2027 and tell our people that we have a policy but we do not have the appropriation of the funds to run this policy,” he said.
Agovaka again appealed to the finance minister to withdraw the motion and return to Parliament with a proper 2027 budget.
“Our people deserve a budget. Our country deserves a budget,” he said.
