Progressive Liberal Party Member of Parliament for St. Thomas More Frank Smith has suggested that the government has scrapped its mid-year budget statement this year because it does not want to focus attention on the state of the country's fiscal affairs, given that a general election is approaching.
But Minister of State for Finance Zhivargo Laing said the government decided to forgo it in light of the fact that it is winding down its parliamentary agenda ahead of the election.
In a statement, Smith said, "Following the general election of 2007 the PM introduced what he said was an important new initiative, the practice of a mid-term budget address and debate.
"At the time, he is quoted as saying that it was a matter of best practice that we come to Parliament to provide an update on the state of play of public finances at mid-year.
"Now this is 2012.   We are already well into February, well beyond the mid-year point, and the PM has provided no indication that he intends to be consistent with his practice.  In fact, the House of Assembly is now being so managed as to prevent members from having an opportunity to speak as the government maneuvers various measures through the parliamentary process."
Smith questioned whether Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham and the Free National Movement have abandoned "what he and they once described as 'best practice' or are they afraid to account to the Bahamian people at this time".
"Are they afraid that honest debate in Parliament will expose the degree of mismanagement?  That they would be found to have been wanting?  Is it that they will have to disclose to the Bahamian public the true state of affairs of the government's finances?" he questioned.
But Laing said Smith and the Progressive Liberal party are "desperate in their political maneuvering".
"This is a group of people who spent five years in office never giving a mid-year report," the minister said.
"The mid-year budget report was a construct and an invention of the Free National Movement administration, so for Frank Smith to open his mouth about the mid-year budget report is the height of laughability.
"The reality is that the work of Parliament is approaching a wind down period and we are doing all and sundry to prepare for that very big process, which is the election process, and the government  has determined in that regard that there be no mid-year budget presented."
Laing said the government is dealing with the final set of matters that it promised Bahamians it would address, including the Freedom of Information Bill, already passed by the Senate.
"If Mr. Smith wants to raise questions with respect to Parliament and the fiscal process, he can do that," the minister added.
"But it is nonsense, utter nonsense on his part, but I understand his desperation."
Laing said government revenue is lower than projected for the first six months of 2011-2012, but he could not provide figures as he spoke to The Nassau Guardian while riding in his car yesterday.
But he said revenue has traditionally performed better in the second half of the fiscal year due to the benefits of the height of the tourism season.
"That's been a trend now for years," Laing said.
The Ingraham administration has provided the mid-year budget statement in February, but Progressive Liberal Party MPs have annually branded the exercise a waste of time.

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