OPPOSITION MP Premila Kumar has questioned the Government’s ability to deliver projects outlined in the 2026–2027 National Budget, saying the allocation of 70 per cent for operational costs and 30 per cent for capital projects may not translate into results based on past performance.
Ms Kumar made the comments yesterday after labelling the budget “totally irresponsible”, saying Government had failed to demonstrate delivery of capital projects in previous years.
“When the budget was announced we were told that its a responsible budget for a sustainable future, now my reaction to that is it’s a totally irresponsible budget,” she said.
Ms Kumar said Government borrowing had increased by $1 billion, while revenue had fallen by $127 million and expenditure had risen by $47 million compared with last year.
She said Government should have reduced spending instead of increasing borrowing during a challenging economic period.
“If the time is tough, if there is a lot of difficulty in the country, first thing is you cut the expenditure.”
Ms Kumar said there had been no reduction in the number of ministers, civil servants or other areas of Government spending despite the rise in borrowing.
She also questioned the scale of borrowing, saying $1 billion represented a significant increase in public debt.
“You are borrowing a billion dollars … a billion dollars is 1000 million dollars.”
Ms Kumar said if expenditure was not being reduced, it was unclear how the borrowed funds would be effectively used.
She maintained the budget structure had not addressed long-standing issues in project delivery.
“Every citizen in this country knows that the Government is very weak in delivering capital projects.
“There are so many announcements made but it’s never delivered.”
Ms Kumar also said greater accountability was needed within the civil service, arguing that permanent secretaries and their teams should be held responsible for project delivery.
