PEOPLE’S Party MP Sirikanya Tansakul said the debate on Pheu Thai-led coalition government’s policy statement to be delivered by Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra which is scheduled to take place next Thursday and Friday (Sep. 12-13) will be intense with her party gearing up field 30 MPs to question it, Naewna newspaper said today (Sep. 7).
The delivery of the policy statement has been moved up to enable the Cabinet to launch Pheu Thai’s much-heralded, long-delayed 10,000 baht digital wallet project on Sep. 17.
Under the vote-wooing handout project pledged last year as a flagship Pheu Thai electoral campaign, each Thai national aged 16 years or over may buy a maximum of 10,000 baht of goods at stores, restaurants and food shops via their digital wallet in the boundaries of their home district within a six-month period.
Sirikanya said today’s special Cabinet meeting discussed the wording of the policy statement but it has not been completed nor has the opposition received a copy.
People’s Party can only speculate what issues will be covered by going through the policy statement former prime minister Srettha Thavisin delivered, what Prime Minister Paetongtarn has previously said and what de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra said at a key event held toward the end of last month.
The number of People’s Party MPs debating the statement would depend on the time allotted but the total would be similar to last time, that is 30 to 40 MPs.
Asked whether the debate this time will be fierce, Sirikanya said it would be so because this is not a completely new government, but a successor of the previous one and still led by the Pheu Thai Party.
Therefore there will be a review of implementing policies that were announced including campaign promises and other promises made during the past year as well has how the country is to move forward over the next three years, she said, adding it could turn rather intense because her party was disappointed with the work over the past year under the leadership of Srettha.
Asked for her opinion on Paetongtarn having said that this government’s policies will be similar to that of Srettha government, Sirikanya said even though there are new parties in this coalition the policies would be similar to the previous one and her party does not object to this.
What the People’s Party will be focusing on is details to get greater clarity and concrete targets, not vague promises that cannot be followed up to see whether they are fulfilled or not.
CAPTION:
Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, left, and People’s Party MP Sirikanya Tansakul, right. Both photos: Thai Rath
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