Bangkok: "Teng-Natthapong" has called upon the government to address three crucial points: ensuring budget transparency, adherence to established policy frameworks, and fostering public participation. He advocates for utilizing constitutional mechanisms to facilitate a parliamentary forum for feedback prior to drafting the 2028 budget.
According to Thai News Agency, during the debate on the 2027 Budget Bill, which totals 3.788 trillion baht and has been finalized in its second reading by the ad hoc committee, Mr. Nattapong Ruangpanyawut, a party-list MP and leader of the People's Party, voiced his concerns regarding the Budget Bureau. He pointed out that the committee only reduced the budget by 200,000 baht and argued that performance indicators should reflect government policy. However, he observed that the budget preparation failed to address both the government's and the people's needs, with 95% of projects being carried over from the previous year and not reflecting genuine government policy. Additionally, he questioned the transparency of both budgetary and off-budget funds, asking whether the budget was allocated based on performance indicators, which he believed failed on every indicator.
Mr. Nattapong expressed his desire to question the government about its support and promotion of the draft law proposed by the People's Party, aimed at ensuring transparency in the budget process, adherence to policy frameworks, and public participation. He explained that transparency in budgeting involves aspects such as price surveys, which have been found to be mere formalities due to pre-determined hiring practices and pre-defined specifications (TORs). Therefore, he emphasized the necessity of disclosing price survey results and TOR committee meetings. He added that the party is proposing a draft law on public information disclosure and wanted to know if government representatives would support its implementation to ensure budget transparency.
Moreover, Mr. Nattapong argued that the budgeting process should adhere to clear policy directions and frameworks to ensure alignment with government goals. Simultaneously, it should allow for public participation, such as utilizing constitutional mechanisms to open parliamentary forums for MPs to debate and offer suggestions on the 2028 budget.