The National Legislative Assembly passed the 2015 budget bill Monday — its first big task since being formed — without a single dissenting vote.
NCPO chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha had never spoken to parliament before Monday, when he took the seat normally assigned to the prime minister, addressed the NLA like he had been doing it for years and watched while his budget bill passed by unanimous vote. (Photo by Chanat Katanyu)
If National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted a rubber stamp parliament, the NLA delivered handsomely Monday, passing the bill after a four hour debate in which not a single military member of the NLA stood to question the contents or make any contribution.
Earlier, Gen Prayuth, who is also army chief, spent about 30 minutes explaining details of the legislation before the assembly passed the bill at its first reading.
- Earlier report: Budget bill passes without challenge
The NLA voted 183:0 in favour of the bill, with three abstentions from the NLA president and two deputies. A 50-member panel will scrutinise it over the coming weeks.
Seventeen NLA members took part in the debate, all civilians. No military members stood to take part in the debate, even though they make up more than half of the 197 members.
The sight of Gen Prayuth wearing a neat black suit and addressing parliament in the same manner as a prime minister is unusual.
The giant image of Gen Prayuth dominates parliament as the president, two vice-presidents and members of the National Legislative Assembly listen to Monday's budget speech. (EPA photo)
Gen Prayuth sat in the prime minister's chair while ministerial permanent secretaries sat in chairs normally occupied by cabinet ministers during the meeting.
When he explained the budget spending, Gen Prayuth spoke in a direct, no-nonsense way typical of a soldier.
The NLA convened for the first time yesterday after the appointments of its president and his deputies had been endorsed by His Majesty the King.
The budget bill worth 2.57 trillion baht was the most urgent legislative item and the first bill to be considered by the assembly.
Gen Prayuth said the budget bill allows slight deficit spending at 9.7% or 250 billion baht, with revenue estimated at 2.32 trillion baht. The spending was likely to stimulate the economy by 6.3% with an inflation rate estimated at 2.3%.
The budget had been created to maintain fiscal discipline and avoid creating excessive public debt which could hurt the economy, he said.
Gen Prayuth said investment spending will focus mainly on projects that are ready for procurement in the first quarter of the 2015 fiscal year which begins on Oct 1.
He said the budget bill was modelled on the principle of His Majesty the King's sufficiency economy. Efforts will be made to curb public debt, maintain financial discipline and solve problems relating to uneven distribution of budget spending.
Gen Prayuth said state agencies would have to report disbursements and spending every three months so the public can see an overall picture of progress.
During his budget remarks, Gen Prayuth showed flashes of humour, delighting his audience.
"Forgive me if I speak too loud. I was advised to keep cool. But I'm still excited. I also had a stomach-ache this morning," Gen Prayuth said.
Under the bill, the Education Ministry gets the biggest chunk of spending, more than 498 billion baht.
Gen Prayuth, as chairman of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), has called for education reform as part of his plans to reshape the country.
More than 372 billion baht has been allocated to central budget funds while the Interior Ministry gets more than 341 billion baht.
Defence spending, which typically increases in Thailand after a coup, grows to 193.06 billion baht, up 5.3% from last year's allocation while the Finance Ministry gets about 186 billion baht.
The army chief said the economy has grown between 1.5% and 2.5%, which reflects the NCPO's effort to turn it around.
"In 2015, the railway system will be improved to reduce logistic costs, especially 11 dual-track routes including the Hat Yai-Padang Besar electric rail system. Since Malaysia has committed to the rail system, ours will need to be compatible with it," he said.
"We have approved a long-term strategy and no borrowing has been made. Whether it is a one-metre or standard gauge [1.43m] track will be discussed further," he said.
The NCPO will also push for fairer land ownership since large areas of land in the country have not been developed. More laws will be proposed to the NLA to encourage landlords to rent out land to farmers.
"I assure you taxpayers' money will be spent efficiently and transparently," the general said.
Wrapping up his remarks on the budget, Prayuth asked:" Any questions or disagreement?'' Nobody stood up to make any comment.
"Don't worry who will be prime minister or cabinet members. Whoever they are, we can control them and ensure they can work,'' Gen Prayuth said.
"Thank you for giving us useful advice and we will act on it. I'm pleased to be here and I hope I won't be here again,'' Gen Prayuth told the assembly.