JUST DAYS after the shock resignation of Predee Daochai as finance minister coalition parties have been told to stop battling for this key seat as it is within the authority of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to choose someone competent to replace him, Khaosod newspaper reported today (Sept. 6, 2020).
In issuing this warning Mr. Sira Jenjaka, Palang Pracharath Party MP for Bangkok, mentioned that Gen. Prayut is the head of the economic team and for this reason this position cannot be part of any party’s quota.
He added that with people having chosen Gen. Prayut to administer the country as prime minister it means he has the full right to select the the team of ministers and everyone trusts and respects his decision.
“Any political party that wants to get this position should stop pressuring Gen. Prayut. Let him decide on his own, if you are talented he will choose you for the job without you having to make a request,” he he said.
Thailand’s economy contracted at its sharpest pace in 22 years in the second quarter, but by less than expected, as the coronavirus outbreak battered tourism, exports and domestic activity, Reuters reported
Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy shrank 12.2% in April-June from a year earlier, data from the state planning agency showed on August 17, versus a 13.3% decline forecast in a Reuters poll.
On a quarterly basis, the economy shrank a seasonally adjusted 9.7% in the June quarter, the deepest pace on record, the National Economic and Social Development Council said, smaller than the 11.4% contraction forecast by economists.
The agency cut its forecast for gross domestic product this year. It now expects the economy to shrink by 7.3%-7.8% in 2020, having previously projected a 5%-6% contraction.
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Prime Minister Prayut, right, and Mr. Sira, left. Photo: Khaosod
