THE Second Pyidaungsu Hluttaw commenced the first day of its 13th regular session at the Hluttaw Building in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
Speaker delivers opening speech
In his opening speech, Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker U T Khun Myat said this session of the Hluttaw will discuss and approve the essential National Planning Bill, Union Budget Bill and Union Revenue Bill for financial year 2019-2020, as is done every year.
He said the relevant Union-level officialls will submit the National Planning Bill and Union Budget Bill to the assembly on behalf of the Union Government during this meeting and will be distributed to each Hluttaw representative as well.
The Speaker instructed the joint committees who will be reviewing the bills to do so with strict adherence to the existing laws, bylaws, policies and other regulations. He said it is important to finish the review process within the allotted period for the new financial year but it is equally important for it to be fair and accurate.
He told the Joint Bill Committee, Joint Public Accounts Committee and Joint Assessment Committee to emphasize hard work on submitting the reports on their designated dates.
He said there is still work to be done on amending the 2008 Constitution in addition to debating bills and other affairs in their order or priority in the various Hluttaws.
The Speaker said there were 325 townships that received allocations from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Development Fund for 2018-2019 FY. He said 114 townships out of that number submitted to change the nature of their work, as of 30 June 2019, and permission for them has been granted. The Speaker said so far 15 townships have submitted completion of their work and urged the remaining townships to speed up their processes in order to finish their work during the permitted financial year. He added that if the work could not be completed due to various reasons then the extra funds remaining should be promptly returned to the relevant department.
The Speaker told Hluttaw representatives to use their time wisely as there are only ten weeks in this regular session and the amount of work to be done is bigger. He also told them to take care of their health during the change in weather and surroundings. He told them not to interfere in the affairs of the executive and judicial pillars while performing their duties in the legislative pillar for the benefit of the nation’s citizens.
Putting affairs on record
Next, the Speaker informed the Hluttaw of the foreign trips made by President U Win Myint and his delegation, himself and other Hluttaw representatives and put them on record.
The Speaker then read to the Hluttaw the President’s letters of appointment on various state and regional minister position and put them on record.
The positions included U Bo Bo Wai Maung (a) Saw Bo Bo as Kayin State Minister for Social Affairs, and U Moe Kyaw Thu, U Pwe, U Kyaw Min (a) U Poe Min, Daw Moe Moe Suu Kyi, U Myint Aung, U Min Ko Khine and U Tun Tun Oo as Ministers for Immigration and Human Resource of Sagaing Region, Chin State, Taninthayi Region, Yangon Region, Magway Region, Kayin State and Bago Region, respectively.
Joint Constitution committee report
Next, Dr Myat Nyanna Soe read a report from the Joint Committee on Amending the 2008 Constitution, of which he is a member, which lists the committee’s progress. The Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Speaker said to incorporate the Joint Bill Committee’s comments when discussing the facts, suggestions and recommendations outlined in the report. He called for MPs interested in discussing to enrol their names.
Financial projections for new fiscal year
Next, Deputy Minister for Planning and Finance, U Maung Maung Win, submitted the National Planning Bill for 2019-2020 FY, which estimates domestic production and service value will peak at K119,023.4 billion at the end of said financial year, factoring in annual price values.
The Deputy Minister said they annually project Myanmar’s GDP to rise to K2,180,755. He said they estimated GDP to become K1,949,730 in 2018-2019 FY where it became K1,729,317 in 2017- 2018 FY.
He said they project total investment into My anmar to reach K10,154.9 billion, export to reach US$15.5 billion and imports to reach US$17.5 billion, totalling out foreign trade at US$33 billion.
Reading of Joint Bill Committee reports
Next, Joint Bill Committee member Daw Nwe Nwe Aung, MP for Mon State constituency 2, read the committee’s findings and comments on the Child Rights Bill returned with comments from the President. The Speaker called for MPs interested in discussing the bill to register their names.
Deputy Minister U Maung Maung Win then said the projection for the GDP of 2018-2019 FY was at K106.096 trillion and to rise to 7.6 per cent. He said they reached K67.186 trillion in the first six months, thus accomplishing 63.3 per cent of their objective. He said according to normal prices there was a 6.3 per cent increase and they project business development to rise to 6.8 per cent by the end of the year.
The Deputy Minister said they project GDP to rise to K119.023 trillion and to 7 per cent in the 2019-2020 FY. He said they prioritized spending electricity and energy, transport and communications, road, bridges, education, healthcare, and social protection when allocating the budget for this financial year.
He said the Union Fund Account – Other Accounts of twenty government agencies will be incorporated into their Union Fund Account – SEE Accounts, starting from this financial year.
Next, the Speaker announced that the twenty Joint Assessment Committees formed to review the National Planning Bill and Union Budget Bill for 2019-2020 FY will receive explanations from relevant government departments on their related projects and budgets during hearings from 17 to 22 July.
Following this, Joint Bill Committee member U Zaw Win read the committee’s findings and comments on the Myanmar Communications Corporation Bill that has received different opinions from the Amyotha and Pyithu Hluttaws.
Fellow committee member U Nay Myo Tun also read the committee’s report on the 2017 Land Confiscation Bill, another controversial topic between the two Hluttaws.
The Speaker announced that MPs wishing to submit direct amendments to the two controversial bills can register their names along with the section, subsection or topic of the bills to the Director-General of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw Office. —MNA
(Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
