OBJECTIVITY characterised the critique of Finance Minister Tendai Biti's 2010 National Budget with legislators from all political parties openly highlighting its shortcomings.

It did not matter whether a legislator was from MDC-T which Minister Biti belongs to, or from Zanu-PF - the assessment was the same.

Major weaknesses which the MPs and permanent secretaries raised before their respective portfolio committees was the failure by the minister to consult and meagre resources allocated to ministries.

The House of Assembly passed the 2010 budget with amendments on Wednesday after the Finance and Appropriation Bills sailed through and now awaits transmission to Senate.

Hatfield House of Assembly Member Mr Tapiwa Mashakada (MDC-T), while presenting a portfolio committee report on Budget and Investment Promotion, berated Minister Biti's failure to consult stakeholders in coming up with his proposals.

While it is agreed that Mr Mashakada was expressing collective views of his committee, one could clearly notice that he believed in what he was saying.

This was evidenced by the fact that unlike most chairpersons of portfolio committees who would merely read their reports, Mr Mashakada did not rely on a prepared speech in his analysis of the budget.

He slammed Minister Biti for deviating from past and best practice associated with budgets, where pre-budget consultative seminars would be convened and attended by all stakeholders to brainstorm the formulation of the budget.

To Mr Mashakada, the fact that he is the deputy secretary-general of MDC-T, while Minister Biti is the secretary-general did not matter, he told him the truth.

"As a committee, we made some observations. The crafting of the budget does not capture the aspirations of Parliamentarians. There have not been any consultations," Mr Mashakada said.

He said from the assessment of the budgetary votes and bids made by ministries, there was no co-ordination and consultation between Treasury and the ministries.

"(Mr Speaker) your committee was surprised when the minister said his bids for the budget were US$12,4 billion yet his budget was US$2,4 billion.

"Did ministries not have a budget framework, did they not have a compass to work with?" asked Mr Mashakada.

"In future, there is need for intra-governmental consultations to avoid these wild figures and wild expectations and dreams."

Mr Mashakada castigated Minister Biti for allocating US$27 million for foreign travel expenses for the entire Government, a figure he felt was too high.

He noted US$810 million of the US$2,4 billion budget was premised on the vote of credit, money mainly from donors.

Mr Mashakada criticised this reliance on donors for fiscal allocations as being unreliable.

Chairperson of the Committee on Public Service and Labour, Mazowe South House of Assembly Member Cde Margaret Zinyemba (Zanu-PF) was among committee chairpersons who raised concern over inadequacy and failure to consult by the Finance Minister.

She said social services were going to suffer owing to paltry funds allocated to the Ministry of Labour and Social Services.

Southerton legislator, Mr Gift Chimanikire (MDC-T) was also forthright in his criticism.

Mr Chimanikire, who is committee chairperson on Media Information and Communication Technology, told the House of Assembly that provision of insufficient funds to the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity had the effect of undermining the Constitution and the Global Political Agreement signed by Zanu-PF and the two MDC formations.

The Constitution has prescribed that every person has a right to impart and receive information, while the GPA provides for more broadcasting networks.

Mr Chimanikire said the Zimbabwe Media Commission, another creation of the GPA, had its budget bids mainly focusing on maintenance of its secretariat and slashed by 73 percent.

He said the ministry, together with parastatals falling within its ambit, had been awarded meagre resources to discharge their mandate as prescribed in the Constitution and the GPA.

"Mr Speaker Sir, there is need to adequately fund these parastatals to enable them to discharge their obligations under the GPA and the Constitution," he said.

Mr Chimanikire's presentation followed similar submissions made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mr George Charamba, to the same committee earlier in the week on Monday.

"The 2010 budget has come before the appointment of commissioners to the media regulator, the bids forwarded simply focused on the survival needs of the secretariat without going into the programmes of ZMC, which has to be defined by its commissioners," said Mr Chimanikire.

"That maintenance budgets for the secretariat was drastically reduced by 73 percent or an allocation of US$47 000 against a bid of US$175 000," he said.

Mr Chimanikire said the vehicle for the fulfillment of those mandates was the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe and Transmedia, which were responsible for regulatory framework and transmission respectively, but were allocated very little money.

"In terms of meeting the constitutional right to impart and receive information, as well as meeting expectations of GPA to deregulate the broadcasting media, Transmedia is key," Mr Chimanikire said.

The ministry had structured its budget bids into four objectives; which are, universal access to information, bridging the rural-urban divide, digitalisation of broadcasting by 2015 as per a Sadc timeline, and building a positive international image of Zimbabwe.

"Transmedia plays a critical role in all but one. The budget has failed the constitutional rights and GPA obligations," he said.

Transmedia was allocated US$1,2 million for capital projects against a bid of US$22 million, while BAZ was not given anything. There was also little funding awarded to New Ziana, while the Zimbabwe Film Training School was also denied funding.

Permanent secretaries for various ministries made submissions to the portfolio committees and told the same story of inadequate allocations and lack of consultation.

Affirmative Action Group president Mr Supa Mandiwanzira criticised the establishment of the Constituency Development Fund to the tune of US$8 million in the 2010 budget.

The fund, according to Minister Biti, is meant to develop all constituencies.

In his presentation before the committee on Industry and Commerce chaired by Buhera North Member of House of Assembly Cde William Mutomba (Zanu-PF), Mr Mandiwanzira questioned who would play the oversight role of that fund when the very people who are supposed to oversee taxpayers' money are the ultimate beneficiaries.

He said it was not prudent to use taxpayers' money in projects whose cumulative effect was to advance individuals' political profiles.

In his budget statement, Minister Biti said the money would be used for community development activities such as drilling boreholes, repairing clinics and school buildings among others.

The House of Assembly has adjourned to February 2, 2010.

Senate will sit next Tuesday to consider the Finance and Appropriation Bills.