The second ordinary session of the National Transitional Council of Mali opened on 3 October 2022. On this occasion, the president of the Malian transitional legislative body, Colonel Malick Diaw, presented to the members of the Council a series of bills to be examined, including the 2023 finance bill.
The agenda of the current ordinary session will be mainly devoted to the examination of the 2023 finance bill.
The vote of the state budget, it should be recalled, is a privileged means for the Parliament to control, on the one hand, the state revenues through the system of taxation of citizens and, on the other hand, public expenditure by ensuring their relevance and the orientation of available financial resources.
Addressing the Council members, Mr. Diaw informed his colleagues of the great responsibility entrusted to them following the interesting budgetary orientation debate they had on the 2022-2023 multi-year programming document. He also urged them to ensure that the vote on the 2023 budget would be an opportunity for the NTC to work with the Government to establish a more effective and efficient financial culture for the protection of public funds.
In addition to the 2023 budget law, the NTC president said that other bills are already on the agenda for this session, including the 2022 budget rectification bill; the 2018 state budget settlement bill; and the bill setting out the general rules for reparation of damages caused by serious human rights violations.
In addition, there are bills to create the Directorate of Military Justice, the Central Directorate of the Armed Forces Health Service, the Directorate of Customs and the Research and Exploitation of Mineral Resources Company of Mali, as well as the bill to amend the status of local government officials. Other bills will surely be added during the session.
In accordance with the rules of procedure, the Council will also examine the report on the execution of the NTC’s budget for the 4th quarter.
Colonel Diaw also informed the Council members that the report on the execution of the NTC budget for the 4th quarter of 2021 was prepared by the audit committee. He especially stressed the need to amend the rules of procedure to take into account this new situation in the configuration and functioning of the organs of the NTC.
“It would also be an opportunity, during this exercise, to improve certain procedures and correct the shortcomings noted during our previous parliamentary work. To this end, I will set up, at the appropriate time, an ad hoc committee to carry out this activity. It is understood that this legislative component will be coupled with various activities to monitor government action, field visits by the 14 general committees and capacity-building sessions that will also be on the agenda of our work. I remain confident, however, in the patriotic commitment of all members of the NTC to make this session a new opportunity to strengthen our parliamentary achievements and our key role in the institutional architecture of the transition,” Malick Diaw hoped.
Story By: Florence D.Y. GBOLU
