THE much anticipated tabling of the 2022/23 budget speech in Parliament on Wednesday could not be read after chaos erupted following an All Basotho Convention (ABC) letter stating the party was withdrawing from the coalition government.

Yet, the Speaker of Parliament, Sephiri Motanyane said whether or not the ABC withdrew from government, it was procedural that the budget should be read.

A faction of the ABC that wrote the letter, had expected the withdrawal would lead to the collapse of Dr Moeketsi Majoro, who has since resigned from the party’s executive committee after he failed to win the ABC leadership.

“In its seating on the 2nd March 2022, Caucus of the ABC has made a decision to withdraw the party from government and partnership with the Democratic Congress,” read the letter.

Reasons for withdrawal were not given.

On Wednesday, Parliament came to a standstill with the day’s proceedings being suspended on two separate occasions, over whether or not the budget presentation should continue.

Some of the MPs argued that if the leading coalition partner, ABC, had withdrawn from government, then ideally it meant the government had collapsed.

However, Mr Motanyane said he could not be drawn into ABC internal matters and had no powers to suspend orders of the day, where the budget presentation ought to go ahead as planned.

“I cannot interfere with matters of the ABC,” he said. “But this is the order of the day so we have to read the budget according to procedure of the House. I am not the one who is saying the budget should continue but it’s the orders of the day. I do not have powers to overrule orders of the day.”