Slowness in Budget Disbursements: The Ministry of Economy and Finance Explains

In the corridors of certain ministries, or in public administration in general, a refrain is on the lips of many, especially ministers: «slowness in budget disbursements». They complain and point fingers at the Ministry of Finance.

Last week, the coordinator of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), Mr. Fritz Alphonse Jean, publicly deplored the slowness of disbursements concerning his “war budget”. This sparked numerous reactions and questions from citizens.

Is the Ministry of Finance the main responsible party in this issue?

The Ministry of Finance is the guardian of public funds and the entity responsible for validating and executing payments. Before any expenditure, documents must be well prepared to be submitted to the Ministry. Procedural, transparency, and compliance requirements must be met. These strict measures aim to prevent mismanagement and any potential corruption a priori.

According to some experts, «one of the structural weaknesses of the Haitian administration lies, in fact, in its limited capacity to draft programming and justifications that comply with requirements to facilitate public spending. Files are sometimes incomplete, and/or poorly justified, or non-compliant with established procedures. This leads to back-and-forth, repeated corrections, which are sources of long delays.

Some state officials, driven by a spirit of corruption, seek to circumvent procedures already established by law. They resort to all sorts of maneuvers to carry out their misdeeds.

It should be noted that the Ministry of Finance has an obligation to act diligently and efficiently in processing files. However, it does not bear full responsibility for disbursement delays. It is shared. It should be recalled that under the Préval administration, efforts had been made to reduce these steps and streamline procedures. Despite these simplifications, Haitian bureaucracy remains a major source of frustration.

Gedeon Delva