Opposition Party Vows to Reject Budget Over Redundancy Concerns
The Pracharaj Party vows to reject Thailand's 3.78-trillion-baht budget if lawmakers fail to cut redundant projects flagged during committee review, citing corruption risks and overlapping spending programmes.
At 8:40 a.m. on September 7, 2025, during Parliament's debate on the 3.78-trillion-baht fiscal year 2570 budget bill, Sirikanya Tansukul, a list MP and deputy leader of the Pracharaj Party, said that committee-level scrutiny had uncovered numerous problematic projects lacking proper justification or efficiency and vulnerable to corruption. During the second reading, lawmakers will examine which projects should be cut or reduced, having already slipped through the subcommittee stage. The party will attempt to persuade fellow MPs to jointly reduce the budget, though today's session will begin with a broad overview of ministry-level issues.
Sirikanya noted that the central budget faces proposed amendments adding 6 billion baht, and several ministries warrant attention today, including the Prime Minister's Office and Defence Ministry. She also addressed budget allocations for addressing instability in the southern border provinces, noting that while such spending has been reclassified as strategic rather than integrated planning, the actual budget details remain unchanged and still emphasize military-led approaches.
When asked directly whether the party would vote against the budget, Sirikanya confirmed that if no meaningful amendments emerge during the second reading, the party must vote no, as originally planned, particularly given unapproved budget adjustments. She highlighted that nearly 12 billion baht cut during the subcommittee stage was transferred to the central budget instead, and stressed that the central budget's economic recovery programme of 12 billion baht overlaps with the 400-billion-baht emergency loan decree, both aimed at economic stimulus during crisis periods.
