Bangkok: "Chulaphan" sees the opposition party proposing to count the quorum in the 69th Budget Committee, putting politics ahead of the public interest, pointing out that it is a waste of time, even though it is a forum for examining the budget proposed by the government. He is not worried if this kind of game is played again, saying that everyone can be busy with their duties. "Rakchanok-Prits" are still not in the meeting.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Chulaphan Amornvivat, Deputy Minister of Finance and Vice Chairman of the Special Committee on the Consideration of the Draft Budget Act for Fiscal Year 2026, mentioned that Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, a member of the People's Proportion Party, proposed counting the quorum and the incomplete quorum, saying that counting the quorum is the right of the committee, which was a parody of the meeting regulations of the House of Representatives. The truth must be accepted because it is already past 8:00 p.m. and the meeting has been held since morning without stopping. Some people may have other engagements, which is understandable. However, as the government, it is our duty to control and we must emphasize the importance of the budget meeting so that everyone is present at all times. We have seen that they are using politics to take precedence over the benefits of considering the budget. However, when the quorum and the incomplete quorum were counted, the meeting was closed, causing som e civil servants to have to return home. In fact, yesterday, we intended to continue the meeting until 10:00 p.m., which was a pity.
Mr. Chulaphan would like to leave a message to the Prachachon Party that the budget forum is a forum that is beneficial to the opposition because it is a matter of checking the work and budget proposed by the executive branch. Of course, all committee members have a duty to monitor and check the budget carefully, thoroughly, and to the utmost benefit. When there are actions like last night, we lose time. Finally, the consideration of the budget, which has a clear time frame according to the constitution, which is 105 days, must be completed within this time frame. Therefore, it is a pity that we waste time considering the details.
When asked if there were claims that the meeting was not as smooth as it should have been and that in the past, the government committee members did not attend the meeting, Mr. Chulaphan said that this was not true. The government committee members were all present, but yesterday, it was late, such as the day when there was a problem with the live broadcast of the meeting or not, in the afternoon, Ms. Rakchanok was not in the meeting, which I was the chairperson. I do not know where she went. She might have gone out. We do not mind because we know that everyone has other commitments. And that day, Mr. Parit Wacharasindhu, the committee member of the People's Party proportional representation, was not in the meeting. We do not say anything because everyone has other commitments. Just do not blame all parties. All parties in the meeting must work together anyway. But when it comes to making a move on the quorum count, our government is ready because we have to drive the country forward and we see the benefits o f the budget that will go to the people. We have to drive it forward and we have to finish it on time.
Mr. Chulaphan said that from now on, he is not worried that such an incident will happen again. It is his right. If he is going to do it, he must prepare the people completely. If he cannot move forward, he will suspend the meeting and cut the time for consideration at the end. This will waste more time for the inspection.
When asked if this kind of political game is seen as discrediting the government, Mr. Chulaphan said that there is no harm. Regarding the quorum check, it must be understood that the committee meeting and the meeting regulations are different from the general assembly meeting. This is not during the opening of the assembly. If the meeting is open, some parts may be more severe. If the general assembly has a vote, the members who are MPs must vote. Every time there is a budget meeting, there is a break. Sometimes, there is a wait. Sometimes, the meeting is allowed to flow in order to wait for the members who have finished voting to return. This kind of incident is definitely going to happen. It cannot be avoided because there are only this many members.
Mr. Chulaphan also mentioned the case where Mr. Montien Charoenphol, the Auditor General of Thailand (OAG), sent a letter to the Director-General of the Department of Local Administration (DLA) regarding the proposal of projects and budget requests to implement the economic driving plan under the 157 billion baht framework, saying that it was a warning to the DLA that the process that was done, allowing for the submission of requests for only three days, could be prone to corruption or specification locking. Therefore, he expressed his concern and asked to look at the details of the money to see if the budget requested was transparent or not. However, there is still a checkpoint of the Subcommittee on Economic Stimulus, chaired by Mr. Pichai Chunhavajira, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, who will consider it carefully and there is also a committee chaired by the Prime Minister, and then submit it to the Cabinet. There are still many aspects. The meeting of the Economic Stimulus Policy Committee this afternoon, chaired by the Prime Minister, did not include the budget for local areas in the meeting. The Subcommittee has carefully considered it and thinks that it is not ready yet because there are still issues with the numbers that do not match. Today's meeting went smoothly because the OAG warned about it. Not in the set that was sent to the meeting this afternoon.