Bangkok: Sathit Wongnongteuy, a member of the House of Representatives and a party-list MP from the Democrat Party, has spotlighted significant issues of corruption in local government exams, urging for the reallocation of exam application fees into the national budget for parliamentary oversight.
According to Thai News Agency, during a session dedicated to discussing the draft Budget Act for the fiscal year 2027, Mr. Sathit raised several concerns about the Ministry of Interior's budget. He criticized the ad hoc committee's narrow focus on cutting costs related to military uniforms and equipment, arguing that it overlooked the widespread cheating scandal within the Department of Local Administration (DLA).
Mr. Sathit detailed three major issues linked to corruption at the DLA. Firstly, he highlighted a cybersecurity budget of 277 million baht, requested by the National Statistical Office for protecting systems. Despite 115 hacking incidents in 2026 affecting local government exam files, the 2027 budget removed cybersecurity indicators without committee scrutiny.
Secondly, he addressed the allocation of 90 million baht for meeting allowances for examination committees, questioning the lack of audits on the allowances disbursed during the exam cheating period and the government's plan to recover these funds.
Lastly, Mr. Sathit pointed out the off-budget funds from exam application fees amounting to 175.3 million baht. With 438,277 applicants each paying 400 baht, substantial funds remained unaccounted for after paying a university 133 million baht to conduct the exams. This discrepancy was not reflected in national budget reports.
Mr. Sathit emphasized the gravity of cheating in local government exams, calling it a threat to the merit system in the Thai civil service. He urged for clarification from the committee and proposed that all exam-related fees be redirected to the national budget for detailed scrutiny by the House of Representatives, warning of dissatisfaction if these issues remain unaddressed.