By Staff Writer
The national budget growth over the last 40 years held the attention of Parliament during the week by how it grew in ‘leaps and bounds’.
The current budget for the 2020-2021 financial year is just short of a billion tala.
The Parliament Finance Committee Chair, MP Aliimalemanu Ms. Alofa Tuuau, impressed the House session with a full accounting of growth after every 10 years in the last four decades.
The Savaii MP from Alataua West started with the 1980 national budget of a mere ST$33.4m that tripled to about ST$98m in 1991.
By 2001 it had leaped to ST$338m before it ballooned to about ST$747m in 2011 and to the current budget ending in June 2021.
Ali’imalemanu also went over the growth of assistance from donor partners that started with $210,000 in 1980 and swelled all the way to $256m for the financial year we are in.
The 1980 budget allocation for development was ST$$7.7m compared to ST$125.3m in 2021 a drop from ST$224.8m in 2011 due to the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
Revenue earnings for 1980 was at ST$31.3m and steadily worked itself up to ST$53.3m in 1991, ST$53.3m in 2001, ST$472.4m in 2011 and ST$593.1m in 2021.
“I decided to check out this budget growth after remarks by some members that we have enough revenue sources to worry about but that is not true,” Ali’imalemanu said.
“By the end of September 2020 our foreign reserves of $751.3m was enough to cover import costs for up to 11 and a half months,
“But credit that to overseas assistance and soft term loans to help balance out our budget“
The Finance Committee Chair readily accepted that Samoa’s donor partners are willing to offer budget support because of their trust in the Government leadership.
Ali’imalemanu carried a note of pride in the hard road Samoa’s growth and economic development took to reach where it is now.
Credit was given largely to Samoa’s envious record of transparency and accountability as the foundation for good governance through reforms of policies and processes.
Samoa has many more challenges ahead with Ali’imalemanu pointing to the global coronavirus pandemic and climate change as examples.
“The challenges for our leaders of tomorrow are on how to recover from the effects of natural disasters like cyclones, tsunami, earthquakes, epidemics and pandemics.
“I must say, however, that Samoa is blessed when even with the effects of the pandemic on the global economy reaching us with our trading, we are not as bad off as other bigger and richer economies.
“The closing of our frontier borders has shut down our tourism and other related commercial activities but food is not a worry.
“The continue to remain safe from the pandemic which we have our frontline health workers and everyone else involved to thank for.”
Ali’imalemanu also welcomed the help of the Samoan diaspora overseas with remittances support to families at home.
“Despite the economic impact in their respective countries of residence they are still sending money home.”
Earlier in the week Faleata MP Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi noted the total work force of more than 50 thousand employed in both public and private sectors.
He attributed the employment figures to the Bureau of Statistics.
Lealailepule used the Samoa National Provident Fund membership contribution records to highlight the benefits for members and the fund from the high employment rate.
SNPF has set up stimulus payouts to members to help them during the coronavirus pandemic and in turn move the economy, according to the MP.
He drew the attention to the ability in the country now quickly respond and restore any infrastructure damages as seen with the recent urban flooding.
“The damages to our roads and drinking water from the recent flooding inside the urban township returned to normal in 2 to 3 days to show good management,” Lealailepule said.
He is confident that even if there are liable to be more disasters in the future, Samoa is proving to respond well to ways to survive.
The emphasis on food security going forward was also raised with the scientific research of SROS to be made to play a key role in.