Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is neither qualified nor does she possess sufficient knowledge to govern the country, as she even gave an incorrect answer to a simple question about the impact of baht appreciation on the economy, said Pukkamon Noonanant, an MP from the People's Party, on the second day of the censure debate today.
When a reporter asked, in September last year, how her government would handle the baht’s appreciation, she responded that it would benefit exports.
"People around the world know that baht appreciation has a negative impact on exports. She gave the wrong answer despite the fact that this is basic knowledge," Pukkamon said.
On February 25, reporters asked the prime minister about a possible stimulus for the Stock Exchange of Thailand, as the SET index had recently plunged.
"She just smiled and left without answering," Pukkamon added.
During an interview during the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Bangkok in November last year, Paetongtarn should have taken the opportunity to attract foreign investors to the country.
"However, she missed the opportunity, as she appeared not to understand the questions, despite the interviewer’s efforts to reframe them for her," she said.
When asked about how best to attract foreign investors, she instead spoke about the soft power campaign and the Songkran festival, which were irrelevant to both the question and the interviewer's interest, according to Pukkamon.
Moreover, when asked about the most common questions foreign investors and executives ask when meeting her, Paetongtarn said, on stage, that they frequently inquire about the health of her father and aunt, former Prime Ministers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra.
The prime minister failed to provide in-depth and accurate answers that demonstrated a clear understanding of the country's strategies. "What she said many times was so shallow," Pukkamon remarked.
Furthermore, instead of issuing measures to crack down on scam call centres, which have victimised a huge number of people and caused financial losses in the millions, Pukkamon said the prime minister merely stated that she was also a victim.
That statement sent a negative signal to the Thai public, suggesting that even the prime minister could fall prey to scams.
"Paetongtarn said she received a link on her phone, clicked on it and discovered it was a scam. How could she do that when Thai authorities have repeatedly warned people not to click on unknown links?" she asked.
Her government did nothing to address the issue of scam call centres until the Chinese government sent a minister to cajole Thailand and Myanmar into action. "It was only under pressure from the Chinese government that action was taken," Pukkamon said.
Pukkamon described Paetongtarn as a 'nepo baby' who took on the leadership role at the urging of her powerful father, Thaksin Shinawatra.
In many cases, the prime minister has given light hearted responses to questions about people's hardships and poverty. "These incidents clearly show that she lacks knowledge, lacks the qualifications to be prime minister and has no real intention to serve the people."
