Keep disagreements, unresolved issues in meeting room, PM tells digital wallet panel
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin on Thursday urged members of his committee tasked with directing the implementation of the government's digital money handout scheme, not to “cause confusion for the public”.
He urged them to express their concerns and make their suggestions about the project inside the meeting room only.
“All of you are selected to help drive this project, which is deemed necessary by this government,” the prime minister said while chairing the panel’s first meeting at Government House.
Srettha, who doubles as the finance minister, is chairman of the special committee set up by the Cabinet last Tuesday. The panel comprises mostly Cabinet members and senior permanent officials from relevant state agencies.
Under the scheme, which was promised by the ruling Pheu Thai Party in its election campaign, 10,000 baht in digital money will be given to every Thai aged 16 years and above for spending within a specific area within six months, as part of a short-term stimulus for the economy.
At the panel’s first meeting on Thursday, PM Srettha told the participants that they should keep any disagreement or unresolved issues discussed at its meetings behind closed doors.
“If you have any concerns or suggestions, speak about them in detail at the meetings. If there are disagreements, keep them in this room. Wait for them to be discussed further so that a solution can be found. Please don’t cause confusion for the public,” he said.
The prime minister also said that this was his government’s “major policy” that would create “massive economic benefits” to the country’s economy and people.
He said the “digital wallet committee” was set up to ensure successful implementation of the policy. He asked all the committee members to work together carefully and in line with the existing financial and monetary frameworks and relevant laws.
The meeting lasted about 30 minutes. PM Srettha left the meeting for his next engagement. He declined to answer reporters' questions regarding the first meeting of the digital wallet committee.
The government’s digital money handout scheme, which requires as much as 560 billion baht in funding, has been heavily criticised. Critics have warned that the scheme will do more harm than good to the Thai economy, and impose a massive financial burden. Among the critics are former and current governors of the Bank of Thailand.
