New Thai charter provision to prevent government from wasteful spendings

[webfact]

New charter provision to prevent government from wasteful spendings



BANGKOK: -- The Constitution Drafting Committee has incorporated a provision in the draft charter which will make it compulsory for the government to strictly observe fiscal and financial disciplines.

CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarit said that the inclusion of the provision, the first ever to be introduced into a constitution, means that the government, when undertaking a project in the future, must take into consideration where the needed budget will come from and how the budget is to be spent and the risks involved with the project.

The state, said Mr Udom, will be duty-bound to educate the public about the threats or dangers of corruption and to put into place mechanisms to prevent graft.

He explained that the CDC had decided not to make Buddhism the national religion for fear that it may hurt the feelings of non-Buddhists. However, the CDC has incorporated a provision declaring all religions under legal protection in Thailand.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/new-charter-provision-to-prevent-government-from-wasteful-spendings


-- Thai PBS 2016-01-13

[rasmus5150]

Wasteful spending???????.......

Start with all the people in inactive posts, who gets salaries for being..................INACTIVE

[leeneeds]

TOO BAD THEY NEVER LISTENED BEFORE BUYING THE RUBBER AT INFLATED PRICES ! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHERE THE MONEY IS COMMNG FROM ?

[ldiablo]

TOO BAD THEY NEVER LISTENED BEFORE BUYING THE RUBBER AT INFLATED PRICES ! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHERE THE MONEY IS COMMNG FROM ?

Why are you yelling so loud?

[JAG]

Wasteful spending huh - like the Tourism Ministry (?) buying 3000 tonnes of rubber?

Edited January 13, 2016 by JAG

[oneday]

Quick! Get this new section of the charter to the junta so they don't waste anymore money on military toys.

[trogers]

Vote Buying is not wasteful!!!

[Srikcir]

I assume junta spending is exempt?

This is a needless provision in any event. The government need only point to raising revenues from increased GDP for projects that have deemed to have little or no risks. The current government has made countless expenditiures over the last 18 months with little or no accountability beyond approval from a rubberstamp NLA.

Why should the junta have higher authority than an elected government on spendingIn fact an elected government would be more accountable to the electorate for its spending habits should it want to remain in power.

"the CDC had decided not to make Buddhism the national religion for fear that it may hurt the feelings of non-Buddhists."

NEWS FLASH - Buddhism has been made into a religion and de facto is the national religion. Head of State is required to be Buddhist, Buddhist ceremonies are mandatory in many government and monarchy functions, and receives 95% of the government budget for the Department of Religious Affairs. Recently we saw how the government is involved in the affairs of Buddhist national leadeship and Buddhist ethics - something you would not see in a secular nation.

I'm not commenting on whether this is a good, fair or bad thing - just that it's a façade or myth that Buddhism doesn't hold an unique and singular role in the Thai government above all other faiths in Thailand. Nonsecular Iran functions the same with Islam but there's no falsehood about its role in governmental affairs. Declaration of Buddhism as the national religion would be honest and realistic.

[robblok]

Vote Buying is not wasteful!!!

Not if you have a good ROI like getting Thaksin back or pillaging the state coffers.. PTP knows all about this

[leeneeds]

TOO BAD THEY NEVER LISTENED BEFORE BUYING THE RUBBER AT INFLATED PRICES ! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHERE THE MONEY IS COMMNG FROM ?

Why are you yelling so loud?

FISCAL and FINANCIAL DISCIPLINES, COMES TO MIND!

[billd766]

TOO BAD THEY NEVER LISTENED BEFORE BUYING THE RUBBER AT INFLATED PRICES ! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHERE THE MONEY IS COMMNG FROM ?

Why are you yelling so loud?

FISCAL and FINANCIAL DISCIPLINES, COMES TO MIND!

Why are you still yelling?

Most of us on TVF can read and write without the need to shout or yell.

If you have the need to yell about the subject please address it to the PM and the government in Bangkok.

Nobody on TVF can alter things in Thailand.

[leeneeds]

TOO BAD THEY NEVER LISTENED BEFORE BUYING THE RUBBER AT INFLATED PRICES ! SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS WHERE THE MONEY IS COMMNG FROM ?

Why are you yelling so loud?

FISCAL and FINANCIAL DISCIPLINES, COMES TO MIND!

Why are you still yelling?

Most of us on TVF can read and write without the need to shout or yell.

If you have the need to yell about the subject please address it to the PM and the government in Bangkok.

Nobody on TVF can alter things in Thailand.

[leeneeds]

WHAT IS YELLING ? TYPING IN CAPITAL , get a life!

[mgjackson69]

WHAT IS YELLING ? TYPING IN CAPITAL , get a life!

Typing in uppercase has forever been considered as "yelling" in online forums, chat rooms, etc.

And is considered rude.

[heybruce]

Quick! Get this new section of the charter to the junta so they don't waste anymore money on military toys.

A more likely response: Quick! Close the deal on the submarines before this section is in place.

[leeneeds]

WHAT IS YELLING ? TYPING IN CAPITAL , get a life!

Typing in uppercase has forever been considered as "yelling" in online forums, chat rooms, etc.

And is considered rude.

thank you for the information i shall reframe from using capital letters to satisfy the offence and rudeness my typing has given you !

only one complaint, ( 1 ) out of all the members ? writing in the capital text was my way of showing the disgust in the fiscal policy and keeping it short and succinct,

[WitawatWatawit]

How odd.

In this case, perhaps the good burghers on the CDC might like to explain whether they are considering ways to strengthen the Office of the Auditor-General, making it so powerful and so untouchable that there would be no need for special legislation to ensure responsibility at the governmental level. It would become automatic because the OAG would have the power to rip flesh from bone should anyone even think about misappropriation.

[mgjackson69]

WHAT IS YELLING ? TYPING IN CAPITAL , get a life!

Typing in uppercase has forever been considered as "yelling" in online forums, chat rooms, etc.

And is considered rude.

thank you for the information i shall reframe from using capital letters to satisfy the offence and rudeness my typing has given you !

only one complaint, ( 1 ) out of all the members ? writing in the capital text was my way of showing the disgust in the fiscal policy and keeping it short and succinct,

I never said I was offended, I was answering your question "WHAT IS YELLING ?"

As far as disgust with fiscal policy...yep...that seems to translate to nearly any government one is involved with.

[candide]

For applying such a provision there are basically two options:

- one is to keep it as a general principle, which means it can be distorted and be assessed with double standards, depending on the colour of the government and the colour of who assesses if it is wasteful or not

- the other is to define precise criteria,i.e. in the EU budget deficit should not exceed 3%, constraining economic policy options with may lead to a risk of inadequate response to the economic circumstances.

[jesimps]

Vote Buying is not wasteful!!!

Yes, but you know as well as I do that all parties do it, none of which are in power at election time so no govt money is wasted. Edited January 13, 2016 by jesimps

[trogers]

Vote Buying is not wasteful!!!

Yes, but you know as well as I do that all parties do it, none of which are in power at election time so no govt money is wasted.

The promises made to supporters while trying to get into power and then using state money to pay off those promises - Vote Buying without money leaving one's pockets.

[heybruce]

Vote Buying is not wasteful!!!

Yes, but you know as well as I do that all parties do it, none of which are in power at election time so no govt money is wasted.

The promises made to supporters while trying to get into power and then using state money to pay off those promises - Vote Buying without money leaving one's pockets.

That would explain the increases in military spending that take place after each coup, though I don't think that counts as vote buying.

[Krataiboy]

You don't need a charter, just a chain saw to chop their arms off.

[tbthailand]

Quick! Get this new section of the charter to the junta so they don't waste anymore money on military toys.

A more likely response: Quick! Close the deal on the submarines before this section is in place.

military spending is for "national security" and therefore never wasteful.

[robblok]

For applying such a provision there are basically two options:

- one is to keep it as a general principle, which means it can be distorted and be assessed with double standards, depending on the colour of the government and the colour of who assesses if it is wasteful or not

- the other is to define precise criteria,i.e. in the EU budget deficit should not exceed 3%, constraining economic policy options with may lead to a risk of inadequate response to the economic circumstances.

So your against fiscal discipline ? Are you from Greece ?

[candide]

Greece is extreme case, of course. What I mean is that it depends of the economic situation. The EU has applied this policy at a time it was not an adequate policy. The result has been the transformation of a financial system crisis into a lasting economic crisis. Now the 3% target has been futther postponed and the European Bank is trying to catch-up with a quantitative easing policy and even the German government is turning a blind eye on it. In comparison, the US has responded with budget deficit and quantitative easing from the start, and has been rather successful with it.

[robblok]

Greece is extreme case, of course. What I mean is that it depends of the economic situation. The EU has applied this policy at a time it was not an adequate policy. The result has been the transformation of a financial system crisis into a lasting economic crisis. Now the 3% target has been futther postponed and the European Bank is trying to catch-up with a quantitative easing policy and even the German government is turning a blind eye on it. In comparison, the US has responded with budget deficit and quantitative easing from the start, and has been rather successful with it.

Thing is if you don't set any rules you can end up like Greece.. i think corruption wise and development wise Thailand is more like Greece as the US. So in my opinion rules like the ones proposed are a good thing. Just look at what YL did with the rice scam. Bamm 800billion gone (that would have funded the health-budget for the whole of Thailand for 4 years)

You are right though in saying it should be applied fairly and that the increase in military spending is bad too. But some rules making sure that politicians can't do stupid things (like the rice program that was a vote buying program)

[tbthailand]

this is just another lever for the elites to pull.

The backers of the current self-appointed "government" cannot stand "populist" policies ... so much so that they try to make "populist policy" a pejorative ...

If the Thai people have this turd foisted on them, they will be a feudal country for many years to come.

[candide]

Greece is extreme case, of course. What I mean is that it depends of the economic situation. The EU has applied this policy at a time it was not an adequate policy. The result has been the transformation of a financial system crisis into a lasting economic crisis. Now the 3% target has been futther postponed and the European Bank is trying to catch-up with a quantitative easing policy and even the German government is turning a blind eye on it. In comparison, the US has responded with budget deficit and quantitative easing from the start, and has been rather successful with it.

Thing is if you don't set any rules you can end up like Greece.. i think corruption wise and development wise Thailand is more like Greece as the US. So in my opinion rules like the ones proposed are a good thing. Just look at what YL did with the rice scam. Bamm 800billion gone (that would have funded the health-budget for the whole of Thailand for 4 years)

You are right though in saying it should be applied fairly and that the increase in military spending is bad too. But some rules making sure that politicians can't do stupid things (like the rice program that was a vote buying program)

Anyway I doubt they will choose option 2. I guess option 1 fits their objectives better.

[chainarong]

Another piece of legislation consigned to the rubbish bin............................................................