In Media
THAI RATH ANALYSIS
- Published: 5/06/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
The Abhisit government has made a tactical retreat by instructing the National Economic and Social Development Board (NESDB) to review the controversial bus leasing project for the Bangkok Mass Transit Authority (BMTA).
The NESDB will form a committee, which has one month to conclude whether the project should go ahead.
Backed by the coalition Bhumjaithai party, the project has been delayed for more than three months amid allegations the party might try to pocket money from leasing buses to the debt-ridden BMTA. The allegations have never been investigated.
The political heat is now too much for the Democrat-led government. In addition to a critical media, 40 senators have threatened to block the Budget Bill if the government goes ahead with the bus leasing project.
PM Abhisit apparently hopes that public criticism will die down before the NESDB panel comes up with its decision. But the writing is already on the wall: the project will go ahead, probably with some changes to the original agreement.
This is Bhumjaithai's pet project. And given the coalition party's formidable clout, the BMTA will even tually get a new fleet of buses.
