People's Charter of Demands on Budget 2008

Background
Democracy is the only solution to whip away the injustice and violation of people’s basic rights from the country. Economic Literacy and Budget Accountability in Governance (ELBAG) is a process of giving audacity to people as their right to demand for their basic rights from government and to ensure their accountability.

ELBAG is a community learning process intends to spread the information of budget making process, economic and financial policies. It promotes poor people’s access to information such as how key budget decisions are made, how policies are decided. It favors the contribution of masses in budget planning process to reduce injustice and to increase transparency and accountability of the process.
Peoples Charter on Budget 2008 has been made through extensive social mobilization and consultations among community groups, civil society organizations, human rights activists and economic experts. After a series of discussions and meetings people’s charter has been developed which imitate the desires and needs of common people.

Summary
Women Workers Help Line (WWHL) organized a pre-budget dialogue on “People’s Charter of Demand on Budget 2008” on 23rd May 2008 at Lahore Press Club. The purpose of the dialogue was to put the People’s Charter in front of public for discussion and to include the opinions of people in charter, which will be later sent in budget session of parliament for discussion.

The dialogue started with presentation of document “people’s charter of demands on budget 2008”. Then four main contributors presented their suggestions and points. At the end in open discussion participants gave their proposals to be included in the forth-coming budget.

Written document of People’s Charter of Demands on Budget 2008 was distributed among the participants.

The key points were summed up at the end.

Format of the Dialogue
Dialogue on the “People’s Charter of Demands on Budget 2008” started with the warm welcome of Bushra Khaliq from Women Workers Help Line (WWHL). She said Women Workers Help Line has been vigorously working to raise awareness among women in general and particularly working women in Punjab and NWFP. During the last seven years the organization has always been in forefront to make struggle for working class women social, economic and political empowerment.

While presenting the background and objectives of charter, she said that it has been developed by series of consultations and discussions among community groups and economic experts. The objectives to develop this charter are:

1. To facilitate and enable the people to demand accountability from governments
2. To increase the participation of people in economic and budgetary process
3. To bring about changes in favor of poor and marginalized people

Presentation on the People’s Charter Document
Bushra Khaliq (General Secretary WWHL) presented the document of people’s charter of demands. She said budgetary process should be participatory involving members of parliament. The consultations for budget preparation should be carried out at union and district level also to address the problems and essential needs of masses. The budget should be discussed in parliamentary committees and community representatives should have power to debate over it and to challenge its allocations. Finance ministry must present budget copy in budget session for comments and opinions from civil society organizations and groups. All civil society organizations should have right to present their perspectives to be included in budget. The allocation of budget among provinces should be on the basis of population, needs, area, avenue and resources.

She said military budget should be abridged to its half and more budgetary allocation be for the social sector for development and social reforms. Military budget should be presented in parliament for discussion. She demanded the government should ensure the availability of budget copies before time and a calendar of parliamentary sessions should be published.

She addressed more funds and budgetary allocation is to be for public sector development. Before establishment of any mega project in depth review of its merits and demerits should be taken into consideration. And projects that effect local communities, environment and trigger economic instability must be banned. All the macro and micro economic policies should be people friendly. Price hikes and interest rates should be declined. Tax incidence should be reduced on poor while more on rich people. Military budgets should be reduced and external loans should be brought down. More budget should be allocated for marginal sections of society; women, children and elderly people.

To achieve the Millennium Development Goals of 100% literacy rate by 2015, government should increase the education budget to 10% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). State should provide education free to all citizens and libraries and new research institutions is to be built in schools. She said privatization and downsizing should be strictly checked and government must realize its roles and responsibilities. She said with the increase in prices the wages of workers should also be increased and minimum wages should be increased to Rs 12,000.

To reduce the maternal deaths budget allocation should be increased from 0.57% to 2% of GDP. The basic health facilities should be provided free at all levels. Special funds should be allocated for free vaccination of Hepatitis. Safe drinking water should be in access to all citizens and water filter plants should be installed union council level, she said.

Safe industrial development should be carried out and funds should be allocated for establishment of environment friendly industrial zones where abundant natural resources are present.  The agricultural reforms should be analyzed again and government land should be distributed among landless farmers. The small farmers should be given training and modern technology of farming. Efforts should be made for rehabilitation of recently freed “bonded Haris”. Corporate farming should be discouraged and small dams should be built in arid zones. A sustainable system for livestock should be developed. The budgetary allocation should be made for introducing alternative resources of energy and more allocations should be made for increasing forestry form 4% to 25 %. The protection of livelihood of people living around Indus River should be ensured. 

Presentations of Main Contributors
On this occasion Mehboob Ahmad Khan, advocate of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said there is a strong need to review all the policies having aim to make it poor friendly. He urged government should increase the wages of workers with the triggering inflation. He said media should aware the people regarding budget process. Government should made effective education policies and ensure its implementation. He said tax should be reduced from poor and all citizens should be provided with free education at least to the primary level and basic health facilities. Workers should have right to formulate their unions in industries or in informal sector. He added government should allocate more budgets for agriculture and livestock to produce abundant for inhabitants and also for export.

Yousaf Baloch, Chairman National Trade Union Federation said we demand from government to increase the minimum wages of workers to Rs12, 000 and working conditions should be improved. He said government should keep check on downsizing and privatization and ensure the effective activities of trade unions in industries. He demanded government give right to workers in informal sector to construct trade unions.

Khalid Mehmmod, Director Labor Education Foundation (LEF) said government should reduce the indirect taxes and there should not be any tax on salaries. He demanded to implement the minimum wages of 12, 000 to workers in agriculture and informal sector. The government should register the workers in informal sector. He said education should be free for all to the matriculation level and excess of medical centers should be opened for easy and immediate access to heath facility. The public participation should be encouraged in budgetary process. The external loans should come under parliamentary discussion and government should refuse to return it.

Talat Rubab, Editor Weekly “Jedojehad” said budget process should be participatory and should be given rights for amendments. She said increase in wages should be linked with rise in inflation rate. She demanded government should allocate more of its budget to women health and education.

Contribution of Participants
Starting the discussion, Javeed Iqbal Member Labor Party Pakistan said government should give freedom to workers working in any sector to formulate their trade union and exercise their rights. He also said people should come together to generates pressure on government to control price-hiking situation and to terminate the sales tax on daily used items.

Nazli Javed Women Secretary Labor Party Pakistan, said budget copies should be published in mother language and be presented in parliament for discussion. Political parties and community representatives should work together to address the concerns of local issues and budget allocations. She commented to reduce the military budget to it’s half and to be allocated for social welfare of masses specially women. She said transport fare for children, women and elderly people should be reduced to Rs 2. Social security card should be given to workers in private sector also. Tax policies need to be modified and revolutionized giving favor to poor. The small farmers should be given subsides on petrol, and electricity and fair allocation of budget should be assigned for distribution of water in agricultural lands. External loans should come under discussion of parliament, she opined.

Niaz Khan, General Secretary Ittehad Carpet Worker Union said government should increase the salaries also with the rise in prices of commodities. And government should strictly bound the private sector to fix minimum wages that is Rs 6, 000 by state.

Mehmood Butt, General Secretary Brick Kiln Workers Union said government should shorten the military budget to half and spend it on agricultural development. More budgetary allocations should be to provide training and technology to small farmers. He added government register the brick kiln and other people working in informal sector and give social security right to them. Public pressure on government can bring revolution.

Khaliq Shah (Researcher) said all the indirect taxes should be reduced and replaced by direct taxes. There should not be tax on sources and commodities rather government should impose it on salaries. There should be a visible and transparent taxation system. Military budget is comprised of combative (weapons, tanks, armaments) and non- combative (army food and other expenditures). Non-combative budget should be presented in parliament for open discussion. Budget copies should publish in mother language and be availavable to them as priced publication. He said government should made specific allocations of budget for poor and marginalized sections of society like women, children, minorities and elderly people. He added government should assign specific allocation of budget for brick kiln labor sanitary workers and women to make it people friendly. Feudalism should come to its end and there is great need of agricultural reforms. He said downsizing and privatization should be discouraged and ultimate responsibilities should be on state. Documents of external loans should be presented in parliament discussion session and loans granted in military and non-constitutional governments should be totally abolish and there should be open debate and conversation on remaining funding and loans, he demanded.

Munaza Ayuub General Councilor Badami Bagh said government should provide education and health free to all citizens. Home-based workers should be registered and be provided with social security. More budgetary allocations are needed for infrastructure and development of deprived areas.

The key points were summed up by Bushra Khaliq (General Secretary WWHL) at the end.    

Media Coverage
The event has widely been covered by electronic and print media and all daily newspapers and TV channels streamlined the issue seriously.