Opposition Forces Push Parliament Speaker to Reconsider Urgent Bill on 400 Billion Baht Loan Decree

During a House session on May 27 led by Speaker Sopon Saramung, opposition deputy faction leader Sirikanya Tansukul requested the speaker reconsider his decision to reject the urgent designation for a bill to establish a special committee to oversee the 400 billion baht loan decree. She presented three reasons why she believed the speaker lacked complete information: First, while the speaker said no borrowing has occurred yet, the cabinet already approved various projects on May 19 and was set to begin borrowing this week to distribute funds by June 1. Second, the speaker had cited the Constitutional Court's ongoing review as reason to wait, yet the government was proceeding with spending without waiting for the court's decision. Third, she noted the speaker had applied different standards—declaring the land bridge bill urgent while refusing the same designation for oversight of the 400 billion baht loan.

Opposition faction leader Prissadang Vatcharasindhu responded that while the opposition agrees to cooperate through inter-bloc consultation, Parliament rules clearly state that only the speaker holds authority to determine whether a bill is urgent before it enters the chamber. He questioned what criteria the speaker was using to judge urgency, asking why the land bridge matter qualified as urgent while the loan decree did not.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva expressed understanding for both sides and the committee's reasoning, noting that historically when the Constitutional Court accepts cases, past governments have suspended related actions awaiting the court's ruling. However, he pointed out that the current situation differs—the government appears ready to proceed without waiting for the court's decision, thus creating a genuine need for oversight. He asked whether the speaker could request the committee review the matter again given these changed circumstances.