Baitas: Current government outpaced previous incumbents in communication with citizens, Parliament

During the weekly press briefing, the government spokesman Mustapha Baitas stressed the current government managed to respond to a greater percentage of written questions compared to the ninth and tenth terms of the previous government, indicating “its respect and appreciation for parliamentary work.”

In response to criticisms suggesting that the government overlooks written questions, Baitas said that the current government, halfway through this term, has answered 13,645 out of 19,327 questions received from both the House of Representatives and the House of Advisors, an answer rate of 70.60%.

In contrast, during the preceding legislative term (10th), the two houses fielded approximately 11,233 questions and the government responded only to 6,371, a rate of 56.71%. In the ninth term, 8,062 questions were raised with 4,885 receiving answers, marking a rate of 60.59%.

“The current government, halfway through this term, has responded to the combined total of questions asked during the halfway points of the two preceding terms,” underscored Baitas.

He acknowledged that the number of questions has increased due to strong parliamentary dynamics and the emergence of significant challenges, particularly in the social and environmental spheres.

Regarding the question about reconsidering agricultural policies in light of water scarcity, the government spokesperson emphasized the need to approach the issue with a sense of calm and highlighted that the allocation of water to agriculture has significantly decreased due to its scarcity.

“In response,  the government has implemented a series of urgent measures”, he said.

In order to ensure abundant agricultural production and preserve job opportunities in rural areas, we must work on this problem and approach it from the perspective of finding new solutions to provide farmers with water resources, instead of focusing solely on scarcity, emphasized Baitas.

Despite significant challenges, we must approach these challenges with a realistic understanding devoid of political biases, he underscored,

Baitas added that “ultimately, we must produce affordable products and provide job opportunities in rural areas.”

In this context, Baitas pointed out that the government’s efforts are focused on how to provide water specifically for agriculture, within the context of a series of new alternatives. He suggested an initiative to build an irrigation basin utilizing treated wastewater in Dakhla by 2026 to ensure the continuity of agricultural output.