Thai Govt Cancels Its Plan To Issue Credit Cards To Farmers

[KKK]

this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

All which could have been realised before they made the promise...So the unrealistic promise was just another method of vote buying...promise now .. withdraw later....

[kimamey]

While I'm tempted to just deride the swift cancellation, of yet-another daft pre-election promise from PTP, on balance I think it's better to applaud their realisation that this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

Making them jump-through-hoops for normal bank-loans is more fiscally-responsible. Perhaps the new government might also care to continue the previous administrations efforts, to help wean the poor off high-interest mafia-loans, next ?

Well Done PTP !

Not implementing one policy after looking at it more closely or changing it slightly is normal and to be expected. It all depends in the end how many pledges you can keep and how many you ditch. Oh and if there are any policies you do carry out that you claimed at the time weren't your policy at all.

[ballpoint]

Once again this highlights the folly of making pre-election economic policies when you don't even have a candidate lined up for finance minister. Not to worry though, they had no intention of actually implementing many of their policies, offering them only as empty bribes to the gullible and greedy. (The "I personally benefitted from Thaksin when he was PM, and I don't care what happened to the rest of the country, and I'm not smart enough to equate the good economic times in Thailand back then with the stabilising measures taken by the Democrats in the late 90's, coupled with the world boom at the time" posters fall into both categories),

[Ricardo]

While I'm tempted to just deride the swift cancellation, of yet-another daft pre-election promise from PTP, on balance I think it's better to applaud their realisation that this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

Making them jump-through-hoops for normal bank-loans is more fiscally-responsible. Perhaps the new government might also care to continue the previous administrations efforts, to help wean the poor off high-interest mafia-loans, next ?

Well Done PTP !

A very good post and you have hit the situation right on the noggin. You have my vote for the most responsible response of the month.

Well done ??.....instead of thrashing them for a stupid promise and program to begin with.....you say good on you for finally thinking right after the fact......like closing the gate after the buffalo has balted......thanks for shutting the gate.

I was tempted, as I said, and I've felt free to criticise other stupidity like 2nd-hand submarines or the new rice-scheme, but I feel there's a wider point here.

On the long thread discussing the proposal, many posters felt that the credit-card scheme was potentially-flawed, with it's nominated local-suppliers (paying/creaming-off what percentage ?), and emergency-access to cash (define 'emergency' ?), it's potential extra-layer of admin-cost and the general risk of over-expanding available-credit. So the scheme might well not have been an unmitigated blessing to farmers if implemented.

One of the medical-trade's guiding-principles is, before you set out to cure or ameliorate a problem, to at-least Do No Harm ! I think this principle also applies here too. And in that sense, the cancellation of a possibly-damaging scheme like this has less serious consequences for the poor, than for example the failure to pay the new immediate universal minimum-wage ?

The buffalo is still inside the field at least, it didn't wander through the gate & get swept-away on a river of easy-credit, even if it also didn't get the bale of nice juicy hay !

[Arkady]

"Pheu Thai reneges on 'credit cards for farmers'".

Surprise, surprise. They are also now considering banning the sale of 91 octane benzine completely after giving a thrill to the owners of old motor bikes that run on it for a couple of months. The next huge fiasco will be the massively costly rice pledging scheme that will force tenant farmers off the land they rent year by year, so that the owners can use hired hands to benefit from the rice pledging themselves 100%.

[phiphidon]

Another one (electoral promise) bites the dust..

If it is not aimed at bringing Thaksin back,scrap it. I am eager to see comments from red lovers.

It would be interesting to compare how many of Abhisits electoral promises were abandoned at the beginning of his 2008 -2011 governing period. Oh, sorry, I forgot, he didn't make any electoral promises to the populace because the populace didn't have an election to vote him and the democrats in. And I don't suppose the MPs who voted for him would be swayed by populist giveaways like running the Interior Ministry and all its major projects to make money out of, or the offer of being Foreign Minister as a thank you, would they?

[whybother]

Another one (electoral promise) bites the dust..

If it is not aimed at bringing Thaksin back,scrap it. I am eager to see comments from red lovers.

It would be interesting to compare how many of Abhisits electoral promises were abandoned at the beginning of his 2008 -2011 governing period. Oh, sorry, I forgot, he didn't make any electoral promises to the populace because the populace didn't have an election to vote him and the democrats in. And I don't suppose the MPs who voted for him would be swayed by populist giveaways like running the Interior Ministry and all its major projects to make money out of, or the offer of being Foreign Minister as a thank you, would they?

Abhisit made promises in the 2007 election campaign. Do you know which ones he did and didn't implement?

[webfact]

Farmer Credit Card Scheme Delayed

The finance minister has canceled an auction for cards needed in the farmer credit card scheme.

Specifications will be reduced in order to save money.

The change has delayed registration of the farmer credit card project to the beginning of next year.

Finance Minister Teerachai Bhuvanartnaranubala clarified that the farmer credit card auction has been cancelled as a result of budget reduction.

The previous specifications required over a billion baht to set up the system and to issue the credit cards.

The new specifications will see more economic features. Embedded microchips, for example, will be replaced by magnetic strips.

The changes have caused a delay in the registration for farmer credit cards which will be postponed to next January, before the harvest season.

Meanwhile, the finance minister affirmed the the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, or BACC, is ready to implement the rice pledging scheme with a budget of 410 billion baht.

The BACC has budgeted 90 billion baht for the project while the other 320 billion baht will be loaned from financial institutions.

The government will be resposible for the principal, interest and other expenses from the rice pledging procedure.

The bank is directly responsible for preventing any corruption in the scheme while the Commerce Ministry will work as rice exporter and also distribute inexpensive rice to the domestic market.

The finance minister confirmed that there is no limit on the government's procurement, but the rice needs to be only harvested during the 2011/2012 season and have a rice certification from the Agriculture Promotion Department.

The procedures will help prevent rice smuggling.

Officials expect as much as 25 million tons of rice to be pledged.

However, this number may be affected by heavy flooding throughout Thailand.

Rice farmers who participated in the previous government's rice guarantee scheme which expired on September 15 will not be allowed to register in the rice pledging scheme on October 7 since they have already received flood relief funds of 2,222 baht per rai and an additional 1,437 baht per rai in humanitarian aid.

As for the debt moratorium project, the BACC will freeze collection for three years for customers who have less than 500,000 baht in debt.

The debt suspension will start tomorrow until September 2014.

-- Tan Network 2011-09-30

[globalmenace]

dam_n! My father-in-law has been bugging me for money, and I told him to wait for his credit card. Now what am I gonna say?

[thaikahuna]

While I'm tempted to just deride the swift cancellation, of yet-another daft pre-election promise from PTP, on balance I think it's better to applaud their realisation that this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

Making them jump-through-hoops for normal bank-loans is more fiscally-responsible. Perhaps the new government might also care to continue the previous administrations efforts, to help wean the poor off high-interest mafia-loans, next ?

Well Done PTP !

Well said!

This also just adds more credence to the fact the politicians only care about one thing....getting re-elected.

[Thaddeus]

I don't know why they don't just fund them the old fashioned way, 500B in an envelope.

[EarthAlien]

In the next general election, the Dems should promise "a solid gold Mercedes and a 7 bedroom house for everyone!"

After all, there is no obligation to fulfil your election promises, they can just wait 2 months and then say "oh, we looked at that, but it wasn't viable after all, sorry!" - then if anyone tried to take them to court over it, they can just claim double standards as the PTP government did exactly the same thing.

No accountability, promise the moon-on-a-stick then deliver nothing. Yay for the red government, they care only about bringing back a criminal and 200,000b lunches

You've summed it up perfectly here,... couldn't have said it any better or agree any more!

[EarthAlien]

dam_n! My father-in-law has been bugging me for money, and I told him to wait for his credit card. Now what am I gonna say?

Simple,.. you just tell him that you're very sorry that his own government after very careful consideration and several high level cabinet meetings have seen fit to deny his credit and that this in turn means that he is automatically disqualified for any family "loan"

[OzMick]

".......... but the rice needs to be only harvested during the 2011/2012 season and have a rice certification from the Agriculture Promotion Department."

There are already reports of rice being hoarded and sourced overseas. I wonder how much tea-money a certification will cost, and what magical percentage the Thai rice crop will increase by this season?

This is not only a recipe for a corruption disaster, it is a tried, tested and proven method to rob the public purse.

[nycpal44]

dam_n! My father-in-law has been bugging me for money, and I told him to wait for his credit card. Now what am I gonna say?

Simple,.. you just tell him that you're very sorry that his own government after very careful consideration and several high level cabinet meetings have seen fit to deny his credit and that this in turn means that he is automatically disqualified for any family "loan"

tell him to live with it...., it's his own fault since he was to one to vote for the red shirts

[Insight]

I don't know why they don't just fund them the old fashioned way, 500B in an envelope.

Any indications of the PT envelope budget?

[IsaanUSA]

Thank God! This was a terrible idea that would have hurt many people that lacked the discipline needed when given a "license to spend".

[MAJIC]

The Harsh realities of Election Promises are now just a lie,so the people wasted their vote,and chose the wrong Party.

Predictably there will be more to come.

Som Nam Naa!

Edited September 30, 2011 by MAJIC

[MAJIC]

While I'm tempted to just deride the swift cancellation, of yet-another daft pre-election promise from PTP, on balance I think it's better to applaud their realisation that this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

Making them jump-through-hoops for normal bank-loans is more fiscally-responsible. Perhaps the new government might also care to continue the previous administrations efforts, to help wean the poor off high-interest mafia-loans, next ?

Well Done PTP !

A very good post and you have hit the situation right on the noggin. You have my vote for the most responsible response of the month.

Well done ??.....instead of thrashing them for a stupid promise and program to begin with.....you say good on you for finally thinking right after the fact......like closing the gate after the buffalo has balted......thanks for shutting the gate.

I was tempted, as I said, and I've felt free to criticise other stupidity like 2nd-hand submarines or the new rice-scheme, but I feel there's a wider point here.

On the long thread discussing the proposal, many posters felt that the credit-card scheme was potentially-flawed, with it's nominated local-suppliers (paying/creaming-off what percentage ?), and emergency-access to cash (define 'emergency' ?), it's potential extra-layer of admin-cost and the general risk of over-expanding available-credit. So the scheme might well not have been an unmitigated blessing to farmers if implemented.

One of the medical-trade's guiding-principles is, before you set out to cure or ameliorate a problem, to at-least Do No Harm ! I think this principle also applies here too. And in that sense, the cancellation of a possibly-damaging scheme like this has less serious consequences for the poor, than for example the failure to pay the new immediate universal minimum-wage ?

The buffalo is still inside the field at least, it didn't wander through the gate & get swept-away on a river of easy-credit, even if it also didn't get the bale of nice juicy hay !

Well let us hope the Buffalo understands your logic, and doesn't feel too cheated,having believed the lie!

[Thaddeus]

I don't know why they don't just fund them the old fashioned way, 500B in an envelope.

Any indications of the PT envelope budget?

Not too sure about that, but the deforestation continues.

[KKK]

dam_n! My father-in-law has been bugging me for money, and I told him to wait for his credit card. Now what am I gonna say?

Tell him to go ask for his vote back and make sure he understands that the PTP and the Taksin family are nothing but a load of liers and crooks.

I'm assuming he voted for PTP.

[elgato]

I don't know why they don't just fund them the old fashioned way, 500B in an envelope.

Only 500? A bargain!

[scorecard]

While I'm tempted to just deride the swift cancellation, of yet-another daft pre-election promise from PTP, on balance I think it's better to applaud their realisation that this B410-billion scheme was-and-is a non-starter, wide-open to corruption & abuse & potentially very-damaging to the poor farmers !

Making them jump-through-hoops for normal bank-loans is more fiscally-responsible. Perhaps the new government might also care to continue the previous administrations efforts, to help wean the poor off high-interest mafia-loans, next ?

Well Done PTP !

Agree to a point. I don't believe they ever intended to do it.

It is becoming increasingly clear that their main thrust in Government is to white wash all the red shirt activities and bring Thaksin back. When they have accomplished that they will then set out on a path to give Thaksin back his money with a high interest yield on it.

When all this is accomplished look for Yingluck to step down and Thaksin take over legally.

This will all be done with in the rule of law. Just as soon as they make it a law.

I like the part where they say

quote

"Thai Party's populist promise is too complicated for famers' debt payments."

But they were smart enough to vote for the PTP

If any one from the Nation is monetering this thread can you tell me what a famers is

Smart enough to vote for PTP, or told to vote for PTP, or paid to vote for PTP?

[DLock]

No country's government ever keeps its election promises.

I think the last time I used logic like that I was 10.

I also remember the beating I got as a result of using flawed logic.

Apparently, my parents did not agree that just because the other kids did something, it was ok for me to do the same thing.

Perhaps your parents were not as strict as mine....but I'm here to tell you your logic doesn't hold much water.

[TAWP]

Alright,

- I applaud the governments decision to abandon the idea, as it is typical of what a government shouldn't be doing.

- I applaud the governments insight into the cost picture to realize is was a bad idea.

- I mock the government for making ill thought-out election-promises that others knew from the start was a bad idea - but they sticking to them until they got elected before abandoning them.

Now let's hope the electorate recognizances that it was a bad idea and don't try to push it for the next election and that they don't fall for the next set of ill thought out promises and lies the parties will throw at them during the next election next year.

[Buchholz]

Another one (electoral promise) bites the dust..

If it is not aimed at bringing Thaksin back,scrap it. I am eager to see comments from red lovers.

Obfuscating comments from them duly noted.

Anyway, it'll be interesting to see if prosecution under the Organic Act On Election laws are followed for PTP's electoral lies.

[Cayenne]

I don't know why they don't just fund them the old fashioned way, 500B in an envelope.

Only 500? A bargain!

That's quite a premium considering that the minimum daily wage is only 300 baht. Oh wait...was that minimum income now? Oh, PM Yingluck can you clarify this?

[samran]

Alright,

- I applaud the governments decision to abandon the idea, as it is typical of what a government shouldn't be doing.

- I applaud the governments insight into the cost picture to realize is was a bad idea.

- I mock the government for making ill thought-out election-promises that others knew from the start was a bad idea - but they sticking to them until they got elected before abandoning them.

Now let's hope the electorate recognizances that it was a bad idea and don't try to push it for the next election and that they don't fall for the next set of ill thought out promises and lies the parties will throw at them during the next election next year.

This idea never passed the common sense test, and should have never been proposed. Before they went to election this idea should have been thrown in the 'stupid policy' waste basket and never thought of again.

So either you are saying this government is stupid enough to think these ideas are good ideas, before the civil service turn around and tell them it isn't.

or...

They are a cynical government prepared to say anything to get elected.

[sirchai]

More U-turns than a road trip from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.

My son's free notebook that he didn't get, created many tears. I don't have free wireless now and my mother in law's credit card can't buy me a new car now. The cab drivers won't get what they wanted ,so please go back to your work and take it as a man.

Adults should be able to read between the lines............................

[sirchai]

dam_n! My father-in-law has been bugging me for money, and I told him to wait for his credit card. Now what am I gonna say?

Tell him to go ask for his vote back and make sure he understands that the PTP and the Taksin family are nothing but a load of liers and crooks.

I'm assuming he voted for PTP.

Honestly, drink a bottle of Lao Kao with him, pay some beers for the whole village and forget the peanuts......