Treasurer and Acting Prime Minister, Charles Abel has brushed aside claims by the Opposition of the 2018 budget as ‘fake’.
Abel said the budget is people focused.
In an interview today, Abel said the Government is doing all it can to serve the people and nothing is sinister about the 2018 money plan.
The Treasurer, when responding to a newspaper article of the Opposition describing the 2018 Budget as ‘Fake’ said he is very disappointed with the media outlet for not getting the government’s side of the story.
He said the 2018 budget was one of the best the country has ever had, because it addresses some of the underlying issues the country is facing like the foreign exchange issue.
However, describing it as a ‘fake budget’ the Opposition claimed that the money plan is filled with misguided spending priorities and failed plans for financing. Yet, another huge deficit that will burden our children with too much expensive debt.
Shadow Minister for Finance Ian Ling-Stuckey when debating the Budget in Parliament on Tuesday said over the last five years the government has lost some of its way on serving the interests of the people of PNG.
“We need to get back to focus on PNG’s people, our rural people, the often-forgotten majority, who have no access to clean, reticulated water, electricity and privileged access to urban services like shopping centers and even just basic government services.
“We talk a lot, eat a lot, smile a lot and are always in the newspapers, tv and even all over this uncontrollable dragon called Facebook! We need to see and touch, our billion kina budgets, we need to see these millions and billions working in our remote villages and remote provinces.”
Meanwhile, Parliament has gone to recess till Feb 6, 2018 after passing the 2018 Budget.