Showing 1 - 10 of 44
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 30/01/2020
» As the Constitutional Court yesterday accepted a request by House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to rule on the validity of the 2020 budget bill, the fate of public spending and investment now hang in the balance, thanks to proxy voting by government coalition MPs which has put the legality of the bill in question.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 31/10/2019
» Thailand "will become a high-income country by 2036", said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, as he spoke of his "Vision 2036" at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York last month.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 14/02/2019
» As the election is drawing near, most if not all political parties are making eradicating poverty and closing the economic gap their flagship policy, rolling out enticing populist programmes in the hope of winning the hearts and minds of voters.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 06/12/2018
» The new package intended for the poor, valued at 38 billion baht issued by the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration ahead of the election, is seen by critics as a populist tactic aimed at maximising political gain. Yet in my opinion, it's time we took a new look or changed our attitude toward populist policies. The fact is that all governments, elected or not, tend to embrace populism and even though some packages may not benefit the middle class, populist policies are just inevitable.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 26/07/2018
» The launch of several populist projects by the Prayut Chan-o-cha government, especially those targeting poor farmers ahead of the election planned for early next year, are seen as a thinly disguised ploy to canvas support from prospective voters.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 14/06/2018
» Over the past years the government has boasted of numerous economic advances, including an increase in GDP figures. Yet this does not necessarily bode well for its plan to tackle poverty. In fact, these achievements have exacerbated economic inequality, with farmers now marginalised at the bottom of the social spectrum.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 03/05/2018
» Fiscal security is of the utmost importance. When the country faces an economic crisis, every government must resort to stimulus measures to reinvigorate the economy. At times, some make use of fiscal measures to narrow the socio-economic gap. Either way, much money is needed.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 01/09/2017
» For decades, poverty and inequality have been chronic problems which have derailed Thailand's economic growth and fuelled political conflicts and unrest. These problems remain even though about a trillion baht has been collectively spent by many governments to address them. What have we missed or done wrong?
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 10/08/2017
» Thailand's economic growth has been bogged down in the past decade by political instability. Since the 2014 coup, the military government of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has managed to stabilise the political climate. But uncertainty prevails when it comes to the country's political future.
News, Wichit Chantanusornsiri, Published on 29/06/2017
» I don't believe any government would be insane enough to revoke the Universal Healthcare Coverage (UC) scheme, also known as the "gold card", or cut the benefits it provides to about 49 million Thais, let alone propose a co-payment scheme as feared by health advocates. Such acts would effectively translate as political suicide.