Senators sharpen knives for govt loan bill debate

BUDGET

Senators are sharpening their knives, ready to dig into the government's public borrowing bill which is expected to go up for debate on Monday.

Just a few hardy souls are dotted around a largely empty parliament early yesterday afternoon on the last day of the House debate on the 1.7 trillion baht budget bill. Few leading politicians were scheduled to speak at that time. THITI WANNAMONTHA

Appointed senator Khamnoon Sitthisamarn yesterday said the 400 billion baht loan bill, which was passed in three straight readings by the House of Representatives, would face much tougher scrutiny when it went before the Senate.

"Several questions need to be answered and we will ask them in the debate," he said.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva earlier expressed confidence the loan bill would be passed by the upper house.

"That's just his opinion," said Mr Khamnoon.

Several senators, even those known to be friendly with the government, have objected to the government's loan bill.

It was approved after the passage of an executive decree to authorise borrowing of another 400 billion baht.

Mr Khamnoon said he could not say if the Senate would pass or attempt to block the bill.

The government has come under fire for pressing for quick passage of the bill. The opposition, which claimed the bill lacked clear planning on spending, walked out of parliament in protest late on Tuesday.

Following the walk-out, a full-House committee made up of government MPs was set up and passed the bill. The loan legislation is pending Senate scrutiny.

"The Senate does not object to the loan bills," Mr Khamnoon said. "But we want the government to do it right, or put in place checks to ensure we do not spend more than we need to."

Opposition chief whip Witthaya Buranasiri yesterday criticised the government's 400 billion baht loan bill as a blank cheque, and predicted the Senate would reject it.

"In the end, the House and the Senate will have to form a joint panel to scrutinise the bill. There's something amiss," Mr Witthaya said. "A full-House committee was set up but no one said anything."

But government chief whip Chinnaworn Boonyakiat shrugged off the possibility that the loan bill would be shot down by the Senate.

"They cannot make changes to the bill. If they do not endorse it, they will have to send it back to the House," he said. Mr Chinnaworn was confident the government would be able to justify the country's needs to borrow.

Mr Abhisit said the bill was likely to clear the Senate.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij had explained it to a Senate committee on public borrowing.

His Majesty the King yesterday signed a royal command adjourning the extraordinary parliament session on June 23. The order was countersigned by the prime minister.

Meanwhile, a small commotion broke out at yesterday's meeting when House Speaker Chai Chidchob told security guards to escort Puea Thai MP for Nan Chonlanan Srikaew out of the chamber.

Mr Chonlanan had refused to sit down and stop discussing the opposition's walk-out on Tuesday, which the speaker felt was irrelevant to yesterday's budget bill deliberation.

As security guards approached the MP, several other Puea Thai MPs stood up and told the guards to take them too.

The disorder prompted Mr Chai to call a five-minute break, after which Mr Chonlanan was allowed to speak for 10 minutes.

Part of the House debate on the 2010 budget bill involved the government's push for the loan bill's quick passage.