Former NGO leader, now MP Selmanaj, obstructs the big budget to clear Kosovo

Unlike his LDK colleagues, MP Driton Selmanaj has named “electoral budget”, the budget for 2019.

While he was critical of sharing the resources of 1m and 200 thousand euros for the NGO “to clear Kosovo”, while only 900 thousand euros have been earmarked for containers for municipalities.

In his speech during the plenary session, which is continuing today, LDK deputy said the budget has nothing to do with economic development, nor with dealing with categories of persons considered poor in Kosovo.

And he's been explaining what made the budget have electoral character, since it allows the latter to translate into the vote.

If we only look at the part related to social categories, it amounts to 465.8m euros. On the other hand, subsidies and transfers compared to 2017, are worth 103m euros more. The goods and services of 111m euros more. And if we take another example of how the government during 2018 has made decisions concerning unforeseen expenses, it amounts to 8.387m euros. In total, all of this issues 687m euros, 1/3 of the budget may be in the function of votes, or of how elections can be won. And so if 1/3 is in this function then we can't give this budget another character, except to say this budget is of electoral character”, he said.

He said raising the budget by 6 per cent does not bring improvements in the field of justice.

While Finance Minister Bedri Hamza indicated that these tools make its impact on economic development, whether in consumption or investment.

“A comes up with this money in consumption, make it an investment, wherever it comes up, and make its impact on economic development. There is a difference between whether investments are larger and we talk about more stable economic investments, while if they're consumption economic growth comes faster, but we can talk about stability. It's completely unstable, budget growth has no impact on economic growth. I listened attentively to your discussion”, the minister of finance said.

And there were Replics from Selmani, which specifically stopped in the environment.

Remember, a nongovernmental organization to clean up Kosovo, which has been running for years, you have placed 1 million and 200 thousand euros. The way they distribute to NGOs money, there are criteria, there are regulations, which are approved by Mr. Hot when he was a minister... And if that, 1 million and 200 thousand for a Kosovo cleanup organisation, I don't understand why 1 million and 900 thousand municipalities for container 900 thousand overall, here is the great paradox”, Selmanaj said.

While Minister Hamza said the municipalities should share the budget themselves on environmental issues.

Nobody prevents communities from sharing little of their own budgets. They too have an obligation to make a prioritization of their priorities”, Hamza said.