WITH the Bangkok gubernatorial and city council elections due to take place on June 28 and questions being raised about Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA’s) budget management a former deputy governor today (May 4) revealed that a budget surplus has been recorded for nine years straight, Naewna newspaper said.
Mr. Kriengyot Sudlapa, former BMA deputy governor under former governor Mr. Aswin Kwanmuang, said in a Facebook post under hashtags #NotSurprising #ExaggeratedPraise that he was in charge of overseeing the Finance Department and found that officials were quite capable of collecting revenue, ensuring there was a budget surplus every year.
He cited the following records:
Under former governor Aswin:
– Fiscal Year 2017 = A budget surplus of 6.348 billion baht;
– 2018 = 14.193 billion baht surplus;
– 2019 = 8.134 billion baht surplus;
– 2020 = 5.560 billion baht surplus;
– 2021 = 4.551 billion baht surplus.
Under incumbent Governor Chadchart Sittipunt:
– 2022 = 10.973 billion baht surplus;
– 2023 = 18.911 billion baht surplus;
– 2024 = 6.952 billion baht surplus;
– 2025 = 5.426 billion baht surplus.
He quipped that it is normal for BMA’s balance sheet to show a budget surplus every year but it all depends on how the story is told.
Questions were raised about suspected BMA budget deficit during an interview with People’s leader Nattapong Ruangpanyawut yesterday when he refused to clearly state whether his camp had approached Chadchart, who has confirmed he is running for a second term, to run for the party.
People’s swept all 33 Bangkok MP seats in the Feb. 8 general election.
CAPTIONS:
Top – Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt. Photo – Amarin TV
Insert – Former Bangkok deputy governor Mr. Kriengyot Sudlapa. Photo – Naewna
Front Page – Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt, left, and former deputy governor Kriengyot Sudlapa, right. Photo – Naewna
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