Sudanese MPs criticise rise in ministers’ perks as poverty increases

May 23, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese minister of finance, Ali Mahmoud, faced a barrage of criticism when he presented the parliament on Wednesday with a report stating that the rate of poverty in the country has exceeded 40 percent.

Reacting to the minister’s revelation, some parliamentarians blamed increases in the perquisites of constitutional post-holders as well as the expansion of government base, saying that the funds spent to cover these expenses could have been used to allay poverty.

Some MPs also stressed that Sudan does not need to be ruled by 700 constitutional post-holders at the federal and state levels, while others suggested that the number of ministers be halved to 15.

But Ali Mahmoud responded by pointing out that his ministry is not mandated to reduce expenditure on officials’ perks and that the heads of parliamentary committees were receiving the same perquisites as the ministers.

A survey conducted by the government in 2009 revealed that 46.5 percent of Sudan’s population lives in poverty. Sudan’s economy has been greatly weakened by the loss of nearly 75 percent of Sudan’s previous oil output of 500,000 barrels of per day when South Sudan seceded in July last year.

The finance minister mentioned in his report that the most important challenge facing Sudan’s new development strategy following the loss of oil revenues is the stabilisation of the economy through diversification of production and curbing inflation.

He told the parliament that the government plans to reduce poverty by maintaining an economic growth rate of 5.5 percent.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Sudan’s economy will experience a contraction in growth by 0.2% in 2011 and -0.4% in 2012 due to the loss of oil which constituted the country’s main source of hard currency.

(ST)