Prommin accuses ‘appointed’ senators of overlooking Srettha’s many achievements
PM’s secretary-general Prommin Lertsuridej responded to senators’ threats to question the premier by saying that the PM has achieved a lot in the first six months of his tenure.
The premier’s trips overseas were also not a waste of time as claimed by senators, he said on Tuesday, adding that the trips had resulted in plenty of foreign investments and interest.
Prommin said that PM Srettha Thavisin had started making tangible achievements from his very first day in office when he lowered oil and electricity prices. The government too had implemented a debt moratorium for farmers soon after taking over.
Prommin’s comments came in response to threats from senators that they would target Srettha during a general debate on March 25. Several senators accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises because Srettha was too busy with foreign trips.
Prommin said the current Senate, whose term expires in May, may not be able to see things clearly because its members were appointed by the military junta. He also said that Srettha’s government was working so fast that its critics had failed to note its achievements.
“We completed our jobs so fast that people began thinking our work was far too easy,” Prommin said.
In the list of achievements in the first six months, he said, was the upgrading of the 30 baht universal healthcare scheme, which allowed people in 12 provinces to receive free medical treatment at any hospital or clinic by just showing their national ID cards.
Moreover, he said, the government has worked to bump up the price of crops by 40% on average.
“These things were achieved not through good luck, but through efficient management by the government,” Prommin said.
Another achievement, he said, was bringing up the price of latex from 50 baht per kilogram to 80 baht and keeping cheap imports out of the market.
The government also worked to boost the price of rice, he added.
Srettha’s trips overseas also helped boost Thailand’s export markets and, in turn, the country’s economy, he said, adding that the government has achieved a lot even though the fiscal 2024 budget bill has not been enacted yet.
As for the delay in handing out 10,000 baht via digital wallet, Prommin said the preparations for the scheme were in place, but it was being hit by too many legal obstacles.
He added that the government also managed to boost the arrival of foreign tourists.
Last year, the number of arrivals crossed the target of 25 million by a million, and the number of arrivals in the first two months of this year was already 50% more compared to the same period last year.
As for claims that Srettha had failed to address the real issues in the deep South during his visit there earlier, Prommin said the premier did not take the conventional approach in dealing with the problems there. Instead, he said, Srettha and his government will work on boosting the economy in the South before peace can be achieved.
Prommin added that Srettha even tried to promote Thailand’s fashion industry during his recent trip to Paris by wearing a “pha khao ma” scarf and carrying a traditional bag.
He said the government was also working on boosting direct foreign investment by amending the law and regulations to make it more convenient for investors to come and invest in the country.
