The government will ask the House Speaker to include the draft entertainment complex bill in the agenda for deliberation in parliament on April 9, Wisut Chainaroon, government chief whip, said today.
He insists that the government is not rushing to get the bill debated, claiming that it has already been studied for about a year by parliamentarians.
“If we decide to do something, we must do it but, if we do not decide or are hesitant, it will never be done,” said Wisut, adding that parliament must, however, proceed with caution and allow MPs on both sides of the House to share their views fully.
Regarding the Prachachart party, one of the coalition partners which has expressed disagreement with the bill, the government chief whip said that their stance is understandable, because the majority of its supporters are Muslims.
He claimed, however, that the party’s disagreement is “not a matter of serious concern”, because the government believes that it has sufficient support to push the bill through.
He said that the entertainment complex project, which includes a casino, is a means through which the government will earn extra revenue to fund populist schemes, such as support for elderly people.
Wisut also expressed his objection to holding a referendum, to gauge public opinion on the desirability of having a casino, noting that each referendum costs an estimated 3 billion baht.
