Many Pheu Thai election manifesto promises were missing from the policy statement delivered by PM Srettha Thavisin to parliament, said Move Forward MP deputy leader Sirikanya Tansakul on Monday.

“The policies lack specifics and commitments, as well failing to provide timelines for implementation,” Sirikanya said.

She was speaking in parliament after Srettha delivered his administration’s policy statement. Sirikanya was the first MP to take the floor to criticise it.

“Only concrete and tangible promises would be indicators of the government’s responsibilities to the people. Monitoring and following up on what has been promised is an important democratic principle,” she said.

Listening to the policy statement delivered by Srettha, however, informed the public of nothing of what his government would do in the next four years, Sirikanya claimed, adding “The policies are empty, say nothing about the country’s direction and provide no details at all.”

She compared the policies to a GPS for the country, adding “but the policies delivered today should be compared to a directionless GPS. With such a GPS, Thailand and its people will surely get lost.”

Sirikanya claimed Srettha’s policy statements were written as if he is making a wish list.

Srettha is a former CEO of a leading private company, so Sirikanya said that she had expected his experience to be reflected in the policies.

Srettha set no clear goals for the country, unlike when he was CEO of the Sansiri real estate company, when he set a clear goal to increase income to Bt150 billion within three years, she said.

Moreover, his policy statement did not touch on difficult subjects, like the violence in the south, probably out of fear that it would become promises and commitments, she jibed.

She also asked for details of the Bt10,000 “Digital Wallet” scheme, which Pheu Thai has promised, wondering where the government would obtain the Bt560 billion required to fund the scheme.