MP Criticizes Senate's 714 Million Baht Democracy Program

At a House of Representatives meeting on September 10, 2569, to consider the fiscal year 2570 budget bill, MP Phandit Nuamcherm of Bangkok from the Pracharaj Party criticized the Senate Secretariat's 714.6 million baht democracy promotion budget under Article 30. He argued that the Senate attempts to impose democracy on the public without creating any mechanism for public feedback to reach the upper house, making it a one-way system of democracy. Nuamcherm listed numerous questionable Senate projects in the fiscal year 2570 budget, including modernization and innovation initiatives, digital technology network development, a 25-person data scientist program, and projects promoting religious practice and sufficiency economy philosophy. He was particularly critical of one alarming discovery: when senators raise questions in chamber sessions, the Senate hires outside consultants for 1 million baht to analyze those questions for research, monitoring, and evaluation. Nuamcherm stated that when people talk about the Senate, they only hear words like "corruption" and "blue," which does not help the public understand the Senate's power, especially since the Senate ignores what the public says. He questioned the Senate's selection and ethics audit budget for vetting officials under the constitution, asking why a review committee is needed when political colors are already predetermined, saying it merely wastes meeting allowances. He concluded by calling on the Senate to stop using budget allocations to whitewash itself as democratic, saying no activities or awards can substitute for genuine public verification, and urged it to stop invoking democracy while lacking any proof that the public benefits from having an upper house.