Members of Parliament said agriculture and defence play a vital role and should be prioritised to safeguard the country's sovereignty and the wellbeing of citizens. 

The MPs raised concerns regarding the budget reduction in the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, stating that the sovereignty and security of the state should be one of the government's main priorities.

Swapo Party member James Uerikua said, "The Namibian Police are totally understaffed, including the correctional services. That is because the government commits itself to ensuring that the social safety nets are never compromised. For issues of security, we can look into them, but also we cannot compromise security. Thus, I want to remind the minister and say, As we are looking at the social safety nets, as we are advancing in these new industries, let us also consider strengthening our security."

"This reduction of N$1 million to this institution is very concerning. Instead of a reduction, it could be an increase of N$11 million so that our Ministry of Defence could be able to get to the level of confidence with all other defence in the region. "The minister of defence is not merely an expenditure centre like many others," said IPC MP Alosius Kangulu.

Budget cuts in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform also did not sit well with some MPs.

John-Louw Mouton, a member of IPC, added that "If we say we will prioritise agriculture and food security, why did we cut the agriculture budget by N$46,879 million when 456,000 people in our country are still facing extreme hunger? Further, what return on investment do we get on state-owned enterprises if we constantly need to bail them out?"

"As far as agriculture and food security are concerned, the honourable minister reported that of the 11 green schemes that we have in the country, only three of them, which are Sikondo, Ndongalinena and Etunda, are operational, producing a combined eight thousand 520 tonnes of unprocessed crops such as tomatoes, onions and maize across one thousand 927 hectares. This output is unacceptable for a nation facing food insecurity," said Eneas Emvula, a member of LPM in Parliament.

Leader of the Landless Peoples Movement Party, Bernadus Swarbooi, objected to the approval of the budget, saying that "Adjustments to public service salaries have not been made. Elderly pension grants have not been adjusted. Basic income grant is not even being spoken about. Black economic empowerment is not on the agenda. And within the Land Bill you find that the balance between distributive justice and restorative justice is simply not made."

Swapo Party MP, Tobie Aupindi, commended the Finance Minister, Ericah Shafudah, for her efforts to balance the budget despite the decline in economic growth.

"It is very vital to promote economic stability and structural reform for growth and employment. There can be no doubt that we are living at a delicate time of great economic vulnerabilities such as we have not seen before."

The debate has been postponed to next week Tuesday.