Sudanese MPs outraged by surprise implementation of new fuel prices
June 21, 2012 (KHARTOUM) – In a tumultuous session on Thursday, members of parliament (MPs) in Sudan accused Finance Minister Ali Mahmoud of circumventing them after he implemented the decision to end fuel subsidies without waiting for their final approval.
Sudanese citizens were surprised on Wednesday when they found that the prices of fuel and Gasoline had already gone up to the levels specified by the minister few days ago – 12.5 pounds per fuel gallon and 8 pounds per Gasoline gallon – without there being an official announcement to such effect.
The increases in fuel prices come as a result of the government’s decision to end subsidization of the vital commodity as part of what officials say are wider austerity measures aiming to salvage the country’s ailing economy.
The austerity package had already been approved within the ruling National Congress Party (NCP) and the Council of Ministers but the NCP-dominated parliament is yet to vote on the proposed measure.
Appearing before the parliament on Thursday, finance minister Ali Mahmoud faced a barrage of criticism from MPs who were outraged by the fact that the hikes had come into effect without their final approval.
The MPs heckled the minister with accusations that he had intended to embarrass the legislature by implementing the new prices without waiting for its official approval.
According to one MP named Abbas Al-Khidir, his colleagues feel “they have been greatly embarrassed and now we see the parliament as worthless.”
Some MPs went as far as calling for a vote of no-confidence on the minister for what they described as a violation of the constitution.
But the minister defended himself by saying that the surprise implementation of the decision was a precautionary move to prevent stockpiling of fuel products.
Ali Mahmoud has already come under MPs’ fire several times in the recent past. They previously faulted his economic policies saying it led to the current situation.
Vice-President Ali Osman Mohammed Taha, who was present in the session, also defended the minister, saying that the authorities had decided to implement the new prices before the parliament approves them due to some intelligence indicating that fuel traders had started hoarding the commodity in order to make profit out of the price gap when the new increases are introduced.
Taha told MPs that the austerity measures are not about fuel subsidies alone, saying that the government had made more than 255 officials redundant. He added that there would be a 45 percent reduction in government bureaucracy.
The Vice-President also surprised the MPs by submitting an account of his monthly salary and perquisites, saying that his salary after deduction of taxes stands at 10.886 pounds monthly.
Taha stressed the need to “tighten the belt” and criticized what he described as excessive consumer behavior in the Sudanese society.
(ST)