THE country’s new leader Paetongtarn Shinawatra (pic) has reaffirmed her commitment to keep much of her party’s controversial plan to hand out 10,000 baht (RM1,270) each to almost all adult Thais, and said her Cabinet line-up is ready.
Paetongtarn said she expected to sign off on her Cabinet list yesterday, after which the appointments would be submitted for royal endorsement.
She didn’t disclose the line-up, which would be published in the royal gazette upon approval.
The 38-year-old daughter of former leader Thaksin Shinawatra said the government was now refining the details of its cash handout plan.
The programme, originally designed to boost incomes and turbocharge an economy lagging the growth of its neighbours with roughly US$14bil (RM61bil) of cash, has been criticised for its cost, funding source and the broad coverage.
“It will be in the government’s policies for sure,” Paetongtarn, who became leader in August after her predecessor was dismissed by a court, told reporters in Bangkok yesterday.
“Part of it may be paid in cash. We are adjusting the details.”
Thaksin last month said his daughter’s government would tweak the cash gift programme and focus on providing financial relief first to the most needy.
A week before that, local media reported that Thaksin had advised his daughter to abandon the plan.
During a speech on Aug. 22, the former prime minister laid out his proposal to fine-tune the stimulus.
Thaksin said at cost of roughly 145 billion baht (RM18bil), the administration may give 10,000 baht each to about 14.5 million people, including one million disabled Thais, starting September.
After that, the government could make a call on extending the benefit to another 30 million people, he said.
Paetongtarn faces the challenge of reviving South-East Asia’s second-largest economy that is stifled by a near record-house hold debt, sluggish exports and a manufacturing sector weakened by cheap imports.
She had ordered a review of the payout amid concerns over legal challenges to the plan.
She said yesterday that more details would be announced later, including on the funding of the programme.
Yesterday, Thailand’s parliament also started a three-day discussion on a US$102bil (RM443bil) budget for the next fiscal year, with part of it earmarked for the cash handout.
The lower house is scheduled to vote on the second and third readings tomorrow. — Bloomberg
