Prits” asks the Prime Minister or is it just campaign rhetoric after many policies have disappeared, slams the cabinet’s appearance as one family, one minister, risking it to be a rubber stamp cabinet without decision-making power, fearing it will be a hostage to the old power, being used as a tool to destroy threats.
In the joint parliamentary meeting, special agenda, the Cabinet (Cabinet) announced its policy to the parliament, Mr. Parit Wacharasindhu, a party-list MP of the Prachachon Party, was the last person to speak from the opposition parties, stating that we must establish principles and accept together that the second agenda today is not a policy statement of the new government, but an agenda to announce the progress of the previous government that has worked for a full year. Although the Prime Minister has changed, the party has not changed. Many ministers may change their names but not their surnames. There are only minor changes that are not important.
Mr. Prisht said that we have to look back
and see if the government of Mr. Settha Thavisin, the former prime minister, can follow through on the beautiful words from 1 year ago. He believes that this will be the answer for the future of the next 3 years of the government of Ms. Paethongtarn Shinawatra. And if we are to seriously consider the performance of the previous government, we have to look at the 5 short-term policies that should be completed within 1 year.
Such as the digital wallet project to ignite the economy, but in the past, we have not seen that Mr. Settha’s government has been able to ignite anything. Only merchants have lit incense sticks and prayed that the market and shops will be lively again. Meanwhile, the debt resolution approach has missed the target. Household debt is still at 91% of GDP and bad debt has increased by 20-30%.
For energy policy, both electricity and diesel prices that were previously on promotion have bounced back. Negotiations with large energy capital groups to resolve problematic contracts, the public saw y
ou playing golf together at Khao Yai, which analysts see as more of a discussion about extending the government.
In terms of tourism, even though Mr. Settha plays the role of a traveler flying around the world, the past year has proven that Mr. Settha is working hard in the wrong areas. The number of tourists has not yet recovered to the level before COVID-19, reflecting the ineffective performance of the Soft Power Committee that the current Prime Minister used to be the chairman.
As for pushing for a new constitution, even after 1 year, the first round of referendum that was announced to be held since the first cabinet meeting has not been held yet. Therefore, the 5 short-term policies are like riding a roller coaster, going left and right, but in the end, it returns to the starting point. Perhaps adding to the dizziness with the government’s unreliability and back and forth.
Mr. Settha’s idea, which he stated after taking office, is that problems that are stuck in the law should be solved through the la
w, but the government has never taken the initiative to amend the law even once. It is very diligent in delaying and obstructing the law proposed by the opposition parties.
The three main problems with Ms. Paethongtarn’s policies are: The first problem is that the government has not thought it through completely from the beginning, and has been evasive or had to back down. What is clearly seen is the digital wallet project, where the words 10,000 baht were missing from the policy statement, as well as the case of the Minister of Finance who stated that the payment of the second installment must wait for the budget to be ready, which further reflects the government’s lack of clarity.
Another issue is the minimum wage, which reflects that anyone can talk about good policies, but whether they can actually be implemented or not, time will tell. The term minimum wage has disappeared from the policy statement of the Paethongtarn government. Previously, the Pheu Thai Party stated that raising wages was not difficu
lt if the economy grew by 5%. Removing the promise is no more complicated than confessing to the people that the economy would grow less than 5% per year on average.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister advised us that since this is not the election campaign period, we do not need to create rhetoric to cause misunderstanding. I would like to ask the Prime Minister that today the government has withdrawn many policies that were campaigned with the people. Is it because you think that the election campaign period is the right time to create rhetoric to cause misunderstanding among the people?
The second problem is the lack of policies, so they have to be written in broad terms first, such as decentralization, welfare for all ages. The third problem is that they are dishonest, but they use the people as a front to benefit their own networks, such as the entertainment complex. It looks like the government may set up casinos in big cities that already generate a lot of income from tourism. Even if there are no casinos,
the benefits will likely go to big capitalists, and there are members from the Bhumjaithai Party who agree that entertainment venues should be distributed to many regions.
Mr. Panusaya thanked Mr. Chusak Sirinil, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office, who expressed his acceptance of the approach proposed by the Prachachon Party to amend the constitution section by section, in parallel with the amendment of the whole constitution. He also hoped that the drafting of the constitution by the members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) would be 100% elected and open to the public’s participation, without being locked by certain groups of people who determine what can and cannot be amended.
In addition, the rule of law must be restored, so that everyone is equal before the law. However, we must ask the Prime Minister and the leader of the Pheu Thai Party what to do with the Pheu Thai MPs who are defendants in the Tak Bai case. Can they promise this House that they will urge the MPs to report to the cour
t?
While the composition of this cabinet seems to be an extension of the One Family, One Soft Power project, but it is One Family, One Ministerial Seat, I do not think this will be a major problem because I believe that all ministers know that in the end, the people will evaluate them based on their performance and capabilities. This cabinet risks becoming a cabinet of people who are separated and cannot coordinate across ministries because previously, a former prime minister gave an interview and advised those who criticized him to ‘live separately’. Later, the former prime minister expressed his vision on politics, economics, and society, almost every point of which was included in the government’s policies. Many issues that the former prime minister did not mention, such as education, labor, or welfare, were all matters that were under the responsibility of ministers from different parties than the former prime minister’s daughter.
This cabinet risks being a rubber stamp with no real decision-making powe
r. For example, the joint visit of 5 ministers in 3 positions, but the person who does not hold any position sits at the head of the table giving orders. I believe that this will certainly cause problems in the administration of the country. The cabinet meeting will be just a ritual with decisions made in advance.
Mr. Prisht also mentioned the flood crisis in the North that has affected tens of thousands of people. Can people like us place our hopes on the Prime Minister? What should or should not be done in a life-or-death situation for our brothers and sisters?
The final problem is that this cabinet risks becoming a hostage cabinet that will encounter obstacles in pushing for structural reform. The state power that the Pheu Thai Party has gained has not been able to push for even a single change after cutting off from the Move Forward Party and joining the old power network, including reforming the military, amnesty for political cases, and having to abandon the political agenda that was promised to the p
eople to please the old power. But in the end, they could not escape being stabbed by the system and political institutions of the old power institution.
The government and the Prime Minister are standing at a crossroads. If you still choose to run to the old power network, exchanging the future of all the people, don’t expect to receive sympathy from the people. And even though the old power network may temporarily show mercy to you because it hopes to use you as a tool to destroy the new threat like themselves, in the end, if they succeed, I believe that they may not keep the old threat like you either.
If the government chooses to turn its back on the old power and run to the people, to cooperate with the People’s Party on some occasions to reform the political structure to return to normal democracy, allowing the power from elections to be above the power from appointments, it is believed that even if there are differences, it will definitely be able to overcome the traps and legal wars of the old power
.
Mr. Parit asked the Prime Minister that his time to make a decision is short. The patience of the people has its limits. He believes that in the next 3 years, he will face many situations in which he must make decisions for all of us. Will he make the future a future where power is stable but the people are in ruins? Or will he make a future where power changes and the country changes? He just hopes that he will make decisions every time without letting anyone’s personal interests come before the collective interests of the country and all the people.
Source: Thai News Agency