House approves Govt's stimulus bill

BANGKOK: -- After 29 hours debate in the House of Representatives for the past two days, the Government's midyear supplementary budget passed the third and final reading with 233:27 with 4 abstentions on Thursday night.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva thanked the MPs and promised that the government would administer the budget in a transparent manner and would reach the people. The government was ready to be monitored on the budget spending in every way.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-02-12

House approves Govt's stimulus bill

BANGKOK: -- After 29 hours debate in the House of Representatives for the past two days, the Government's midyear supplementary budget passed the third and final reading with 233:27 with 4 abstentions on Thursday night.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva thanked the MPs and promised that the government would administer the budget in a transparent manner and would reach the people. The government was ready to be monitored on the budget spending in every way.

-- Bangkok Post 2009-02-12

Lost in all the red/yellow tit/tat squabbling, is the fact that Abhisit's government has managed to get a lot of sizable pieces of legislation passed in a fairly short time. Puea Thai seems to be wandering around with their collective head up their own asses, so kudos to the Dems for this! They even beat the US in terms of passage of the bill - light at the end of the tunnel?

Thosenumbers seem to imply about 200 MPs couldnt be bothered to attend or couldnt be bothered to vote or both. Considerign that this is a budget bill it is disgusting that elected representatives of the peopelcouldnt even be botherdd to do their job. Totally diisgusting. I wonder if they could be named and shamed.

Possibly the PTP, still mired in their on-going leadership-problems, are simply not yet able to function as a proper Opposition in Parliament, which is a pity since Abhisit says his government "is ready to be monitored on the budget spending in every way".

Thosenumbers seem to imply about 200 MPs couldnt be bothered to attend or couldnt be bothered to vote or both. Considerign that this is a budget bill it is disgusting that elected representatives of the peopelcouldnt even be botherdd to do their job. Totally diisgusting. I wonder if they could be named and shamed.

Whilst it may well be the case that 200 MP's "couldn't be bothered" it is also highly likely that Thai politicians adopt the proceedure of "pairing" during debates ( common practise in the UK ) whereby MP's will avoid a drawn out lengthy debate , where they are only going to follow the directive of the party leader anyway , by finding an onother MP who is voting the opposite to themselves and agreeing not to attend the debate. The final majority remains the same , it just saves time & effort if they have nothing of value to add to the debate. Not the most efficent of political practises but none the less , nothing to be "publically shamed" over.

It's nothing like this in Thailand.

At the moment PTP can't be bothered with legislating. They couldn't be bothered when they were in the government, what are the chances they take interest in it now when they are in opposition.

They go to Parliament only because they still get their salaries there. Once they get inside they try to disrupt proceedings in any way they can, and they are certainly not going to vote for govt sponsored legislation, no matter how urgent or important. For now they are too lazy to even vote against it.

Now that the Dems are in power the talk about new politics is forgotten, but look at the opposition - these people have absolutely no place there, Thailand must devise ways to keep them out before they take reins again.

^Perhaps the Oppostion mps are absent because Abhisit has had them put on a leaky barge and towed out to sea.

"New new politics"