The paddy pledging scheme under the supervision of Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut is the first among issues which should be raised in the forthcoming censure debate against the government, according to the results of an Abac Poll revealed on Sunday.
The poll was conducted on 2,289 people aged over 18 years between Aug 11-18 in Bangkok, Phetchaburi, Chachoengsao, Nakhon Pathom and Chon Buri provinces in the Central Region; Phrae, Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai in the North; Maha Sarakham, Amnat Charoen, Chaiyaphum, Si Sa Ket, Khon Kaen and Udon Thani in the Northeast; and, Narathiwat, Krabi and Songkhla in the South.
Asked to name the ministers and issues they wanted to be raised for debate, their replies are as follows:
- Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Theera Wongsamut over the paddy mortgage scheme, farm prices and farmers' credit cards (59.6 per cent);
- Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom over the high cost of living and goods prices (57.1 per cent);
- Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong over economic problems (55.6 per cent);
- Justice Minister Pracha Promnok over drug problems (49.8 per cent); and
- Interior Minister Yongyuth Wichaidit over compensation for people affected by natural disasters, the frequent breakdown in the domicile registration system, and intra-ministry conflicts.
Asked who they thought should reply to questions raised during the censure debate, most, or 72.9 per cent, said they wanted to hear explanations from Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, not Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung.
On the opposition side, the majority of respondents wanted to hear more from opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva than Chuvit Kamolvisit.
Asked which projects they felt were plagued with corruption, the respondents pointed to the paddy mortgage scheme, tablet computers for Prathom 1 students, farmers' credit cards, drugs suppression and prevention, and energy credit cards.
In the same survey, the respondents were also asked about their opinions on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's ongoing visits to various countries.
The majority, or 55.4 per cent, said they did not think Thaksin's foreign visits would help improve anything in the country, 25.2 per cent thought they would do something good for Thailand, and 19.4 per cent thought Thailand would be put in a worse position.