People's Party MP Urges PM to Endorse Social Security Bill
People's Party MP Sahatsawat Khamkhong demands the Prime Minister endorse his party's Social Security Act amendment bill, which has languished on the PM's desk for over six months. He criticizes the Cabinet-approved version as offering only minor benefit tweaks without addressing the fund's governance, investment transparency, or structural flaws. Sahatsawat insists both bills must be debated openly in Parliament so the public can compare them, calling reform a national consensus reflected in recent Social Security board elections.
On November 6, 2026, People's Party MP for Chonburi Sahatsawat Khamkhong addressed the Cabinet's approval of a Ministry of Labour-sponsored Social Security Act amendment bill slated for parliamentary consideration. He noted the People's Party submitted its own version — dubbed the 'Reclaim Social Security' bill — to the House of Representatives and the Prime Minister's office on May 1, where it has awaited the PM's endorsement as a finance-related bill for over half a year without any sign of signature or mention.
Sahatsawat said every party campaigned on social security reform during the election, but once in government they forgot their promises to workers. The Cabinet-approved draft contains no genuine structural reform of the Social Security Fund, only minor benefit adjustments that amount to patching old problems. True reform, he argued, means overhauling the Social Security Office and the fund's governance — worth over two trillion baht — to ensure transparency, accountability, and real representation of insured persons and employers.
Over the past one to two years, public debate has converged on the need to reform the Social Security Board's composition, sub-committee proportions, investment decision-making, and benefit direction. Record voter turnout in Social Security board elections and overwhelming support for candidates pledging structural overhaul reflect a national consensus. The People's Party bill is the only one tackling root causes, and even though Sahatsawat disagrees with many points in the Cabinet draft, he insists both must be placed on the parliamentary agenda for open debate so the public can compare them transparently. "This is not the time for political games," he said, "but for reforming social security according to the people's will, as every party promised during the election."
