Tension surrounding the outlay of the revised annual development programme (RADP) continues to rise between Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Planning Minister AHM Mostafa Kamal, as Kamal criticised the finance minister yesterday in an apparent retaliation to Muhith’s opposition to the planning minister’s intension of increasing the size of the RADP.
The planning minister challenged Muhith’s ability as a finance minister, saying Muhith presented budgets hundreds of pages long and he nearly went to sleep while presenting it.
Talking to reporters following a meeting with visiting Malaysian Home Minister Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, Kamal added that the finance minister could hardly execute the budget, which the planning ministry could have done successfully if they got the chance.
Kamal added that the pages of the budget copy would have been reduced drastically if he were the finance minister.
Earlier on May 28, 2013, the National Economic Council had approved Tk65,870 crore for the ADP for FY2013-14, while the finance ministry later proposed that the RADP should be fixed at Tk54,000 crore because of funds constraints.
However, the planning ministry proposed to fix the RADP at Tk60,582 crore, arguing that any further cut in the amount would be detrimental to the country’s development activities.
When Muhith refused to budge, the planning minister drew the attention of the prime minister to the issue. The finance minister also wrote a letter to the planning minister, asking him to “understand the reality of the economy.”
Muhith said the ministry had raised the RADP from its previous estimate, by Tk1,000 crore, to Tk 55,000 crore, and advised the planning minister not to oppose the finance ministry’s estimate.
However, in comments to reporters yesterday, the planning minister claimed that Muhith received a pension from the World Bank, adding that there has been no legal action against the global lender despite Muhith’s recent threats of taking the bank to court.
Regarding the Public-Private Partnership model, Kamal said: “the finance minister has developed the PPP but I do not know if it is cow or a goat? I hope the people know what it is!”
The planning minister added: “The finance minister gave one good piece of news that expatriates will be able to vote. However, have you seen any expatriate being registered as voters?”
