Thai Govt Stands By Rice Scheme Despite Doubts

[webfact]

RICE

Govt stands by rice scheme despite doubts

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The Cabinet on Tuesday endorsed in principle a second round of the government's rice price-pledging scheme for the upcoming harvest season that would require as much as Bt450 billion.

The decision was made despite questions of irregularities involving the first phase of the controversial project, in which cost as much as Bt300 billion, and suspicions that certain politicians in power would benefit from the project.

Details of the project will still need to be worked out by Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyaphirom, who is in charge of it, and his colleagues from Agriculture and Finance ministries. The project will require endorsement by a screening committee before it can be forwarded to the Cabinet for the final go-ahead.

The government earlier put a brake on the first phase of its rice-pledging scheme after reports of irregularities. Critics said certain figures in Pheu Thai Party made personal gains from this project, as well as others being implemented under this administration.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, in an apparent bid to show that her government was serious about tackling graft, recently appointed her deputy Chalerm Yoobamrung to head a panel charged with investigating and examining corruption allegations. But no evident progress has been made.

Politicians from the opposition Demo-crat Party have attacked the government's rice scheme and are expected to focus on it when grilling the administration in the censure debate likely to be called soon.

Moreover, the National Anti-Corruption Commission opposed the project in a written statement to the government, pointing to loopholes that could allow corruption and waste of the taxpayer's money.

However, the government has been undaunted in implementing the policy, which was a Pheu Thai election-campaign promise - as opposed to the price-guarantee rice-subsidy programme by the previous Democrat-led government.

The Yingluck administration has been waiting for the opposition and criticism against its price-pledging policy to diminish. In mid-August, amid a strong wave of criticism, the Commerce Ministry sought Cabinet endorsement for the project's second phase, but a decision was postponed until this Tuesday. A government source said time was running out, as the second phase needs to start in October to be in time for the next harvest season.

"The prime minister was worried. She wanted to wait until after the opposition's censure debate, and the criticism was expected to lessen. But the opposition seems to have made no moves about the censure debate, so she has decided to go ahead," the source said.

A recent opinion poll showed farmers appeared to be supporting the programme. It was found that 86.5 per cent of farmers surveyed wanted the government to implement either a price-pledging or a price-subsidy scheme. And more than 35.4 per cent of the respondents said they were more satisfied with the price-pledging option because they could get more money and get paid faster.

To restore confidence in the pledging programme, Yingluck went to Phitsanulok last weekend to observe how the scheme was implemented. She announced that computer technology would be used to record information obtained by the ministries of Interior, Agriculture and Finance, and the Bank for Agriculture and Agricul-tural Cooperatives to determine if anything wrong. However, such plans cannot guarantee that there will be no graft.

Yingluck admitted some people abused legal loopholes for "systematic corruption". But, she added that probes into irregularities should not be a reason for the project to be delayed.

She will then need a good explanation for the taxpayer if her government's price-pledging programme is marred by irregularities again.

-- The Nation 2012-09-20

[MunterHunter]

Guess someone in the government is running short on money... time to refill the trough for the little piggies to feed

[dcutman]

Its always at the end of the article when the best most ridiculous statements/quotes

come out.

Yingluck admitted some people abused legal loopholes for "systematic corruption". But, she added that probes into irregularities should not be a reason for the project to be delayed.

They actually should be stopped if there is "systematic corruption" and perpetrators convicted. At the very least they should be delayed until these probes of irregularities are concluded.

I am sure she will get a good scolding from her brother, for admitting anything.

Edited September 20, 2012 by dcutman

[annabel]

Wasn't it just yesterday that it was annouced that "Cabinet rejects new Bt405 billion rice pledging scheme"

Oh, I see yesterday was only 405 Billion ... Not Enough!! Needed a serious correction there... Ok 450 Billion... now that's more like it ...APPROVED !

Its always at the end of the article when the best most ridiculous statements/quotes

come out.

Yingluck admitted some people abused legal loopholes for "systematic corruption". But, she added that probes into irregularities should not be a reason for the project to be delayed.

They actually should be stopped if there is "systematic corruption" and perpetrators convicted. At the very least they should be delayed until these probes of irregularities are concluded.

I am sure she will get a good scolding from her brother, for admitting anything.

[lovelomsak]

Wasn't it just yesterday that it was annouced that "Cabinet rejects new Bt405 billion rice pledging scheme"

Oh, I see yesterday was only 405 Billion ... Not Enough!! Needed a serious correction there... Ok 450 Billion... now that's more like it ...APPROVED !

Its always at the end of the article when the best most ridiculous statements/quotes

come out.

Yingluck admitted some people abused legal loopholes for "systematic corruption". But, she added that probes into irregularities should not be a reason for the project to be delayed.

They actually should be stopped if there is "systematic corruption" and perpetrators convicted. At the very least they should be delayed until these probes of irregularities are concluded.

I am sure she will get a good scolding from her brother, for admitting anything.

Yes that is the way it is in Thailand.If a person doesnot get their price, then the price goes up.

[Thaddeus]

Wasn't it just yesterday that it was annouced that "Cabinet rejects new Bt405 billion rice pledging scheme"

Oh, I see yesterday was only 405 Billion ... Not Enough!! Needed a serious correction there... Ok 450 Billion... now that's more like it ...APPROVED !

Its always at the end of the article when the best most ridiculous statements/quotes

come out.

Yingluck admitted some people abused legal loopholes for "systematic corruption". But, she added that probes into irregularities should not be a reason for the project to be delayed.

They actually should be stopped if there is "systematic corruption" and perpetrators convicted. At the very least they should be delayed until these probes of irregularities are concluded.

I am sure she will get a good scolding from her brother, for admitting anything.

I'm sort of not getting this at all, despite that the number has changed a little, does this now mean that PTP can now carry on with policies when they get a minority of the vote in Parliament?

Anyone?

Edited September 20, 2012 by Thaddeus