Parliament Postpones Discussions of Additional Credit; Demands Inclusion of Relief Aids

Parliament has postponed discussions of additional credit draft law for the 2008 budget mounting to YR 660 billion after several MPs demanded the government to promptly decide the volume of money required for reconstructing the flood-affected areas in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah to be inset within the additional credit.

They also considered several government officials to be responsible for the immense extent of losses especially when the disaster was forecasted a week ago by media outlets; however, they gave no attention to such warnings.

MP Abdu Bishr threatened to reject the project of the additional credit unless relief costs are included within it, hinting that disasters and floods have become a season for officials to ask for aid from abroad.

Other MPs demanded a transparency as for the way through which aids are distributed so that these aid can reach all the affected people. Some MPs also asked for postponing the parliament sessions until the government officials are summoned to respond to the inquiries of MPs in matters relating to relief and reconstruction processes.

For his part, Head of Freedoms Committee at parliament Mohammed Naji Al-Shaif demanded summoning the officials at the General Authority for Civil Aviation and Metrology (GACAM) to investigate them into the reasons that prevented them from forecasting the disaster.