Manus approves K38.5m budget

THE Manus provincial government’s (MPG) Lapan assembly has passed the province’s K38.5million 2010 budget.
The budget was handed down by the Governor and finance planning and administration chairman Michael Sapau late last December.
The money plan was made up of K22.09 million in recurrent expenditure and a development expenditure component of K6.5 million in the national grants, a slight increase from the K19.3 million allocated last year.
The most significant increases were health and education grants, and infrastructure grants as well as other service delivery function grants.
The province hopes to raise K4.2million in internal revenue while a total of K7.4 million will be comprised of miscellaneous revenue.
While re-current expenditure had increased slightly from K21.7million last year to K22.09 million this year, the development expenditure had decreased dramatically from a high of K14milion last year to only K6.5 million this year.
In a 68-minute budget speech delivered last December, Governor Sapau highlighted the fact that, the National Government had not included any of the 15 public investment programme (PIP) submitted for consideration in this year’s national money plan.
MPG will have to work harder at tapping into various National Gvernment programmes where funds were available that would support the province’s development interest.
Governor Sapau said the commencement of the PNG LNG Project and the implementation of the PNG Vision 2010-2050 would bring about a need for restructuring and realigning of the political and public service delivery mechanisms and resourcing arrangements.
“This might result in more political and pubic service delivery mechanisms and resourcing arrangements and more political and administrative delays, disruptions and costs to service delivery,” the Governor said.
“The bigger challenge for the MPG, the 12 LLG and the 127 wards and the administrative machinery of government is how can we make the best use of the small funding allocation in this year’s budget to grow the economy to cushion the adverse effects and fall out as well as build on the strengths and opportunities that arise from these national and international economic changes.”