The Thai Sang Thai party has declared that, in opposition, it will do its duty to debate and examine the details of government policies, with the full intention to protect the people and the country as part of the check and balance system.
The new government will deliver its policy statement to parliament on Monday and the ensuing debate will last two days. After the session, the government will be able to function officially, as the Cabinet took the oath of office before the King last week.
Thai Sang Thai’s announcement, released on Saturday, states that, despite having only six MPs, the party promises that they are of high quality and hardworking.
Thai Sang Thai was a member of the failed coalition led by the Move Forward party, which attempted to form a government after the May general election. Their hopes were, however, dashed, because Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat did not win enough support from parliament to form the government.
The subsequent Pheu Thai-led government coalition did not include Thai Sang Thai or Move Forward.
In its announcement, Thai Sang Thai promised that it will not unreasonably oppose government policies or create division in the country. If the government works honestly, Thai Sang Thai said it is ready to cooperate and support its agenda.
If the government is corrupt, however, it will scrutinise fearlessly, the party said.
Meanwhile, Move Forward’s spokesman Rangsiman Rome said the debate on government policies on Monday and Tuesday will be divided into two parts; the economy and politics.
“From what I know, 30 Move Forward MPs will take part in the debate.”
He also commented that the policy statement clearly shows that the government is not ready to work, because it does not go into detail of what the government will do during the four-year term.
“Frankly speaking, Srettha’s policy statement is of a lower standard than previous governments, even that of former PM Prayut Chan-o-cha,” Rangsiman claimed.
Many of Pheu Thai’s election manifesto promises are not even included in the statement, he added.
While the policy debate will not turn into a censure debate against the Srettha government, Rangsiman predicted that it will be tense and could result in many protests in the House.
