The Thai Chamber of Commerce and the private sector are calling on political parties to deliver on 10 key economic proposals to drive the country's economic development.
Speaking at a forum yesterday for parties to hear the opinions of the private sector, chamber chairman Sanan Angubolkul said the proposals include digital transformation and educational development; enhancing competitiveness and promoting foreign investment and ease of doing business; and international trade and Thai labour development.
According to Mr Sanan, one priority should be promoting the agricultural, food, bio-, circular and green, and environmental, social and governance sectors, as well as upgrading the tourism and service industries.
The country needs to attract foreign investment by amending regulations to allow for digital registration and make long-term visas more convenient for foreigners, he said.
Mr Sanan said all parties should focus on strengthening infrastructure and promoting balanced development among regions, including creating an effective water management plan for the entire country that covers consumption, agriculture and industry, while encouraging private sector participation.
Thailand's road strengths along important economic corridors such as the East-West Economic Corridor (Mae Sot-Mukdahan) need to be better utilised to connect trade and cross-border services with neighbouring countries, he said.
In addition, Mr Sanan said cross-border and border trade needs to be optimised by accelerating the opening of all 97 border checkpoints and promoting the use of Thai currency for trading, while more support is needed for new entrepreneurs, small businesses and community enterprises.
Educational standards and the environment need to be upgraded to ensure equality, he said.
"The business sector wants all political parties to adopt these proposals into policies, particularly projects that do not burden the country's finances, instead focusing on creating jobs and consumer income over the long term. Parties must provide clear answers on funding sources for these policies, their impact on the country's financial status and the benefits and value they offer in terms of social welfare, the economy and competitiveness," said Mr Sanan.
"After the election, the chamber would like to see the formation of a stable and efficient government team that can quickly and smoothly oversee budget allocation to rehabilitate the economy and people's lives."
TECHNOLOGICAL POWER
Greater support for digital technology and technology-based manufacturing is needed if Thailand wants to reduce economic disparity among people and increase revenue for the country, said business leaders.
Their suggestions were meant to rouse political parties to develop the next step for Thailand's economy once a new government is formed after the general election on May 14.
Digital technology will not only increase the country's competitiveness, but also improve national education by giving children easier access to knowledge stored on digital platforms, said Suphachai Chearavanont, chief executive of conglomerate Charoen Pokphand Group.
Around 7 million youngsters in the Thai educational system lack personal computers, keeping them from exploring subjects of their choosing, he said.
Helping students gain knowledge in the cyberworld should be done in tandem with methods to screen out inappropriate and useless information, said Mr Suphachai.
He said he believes digital tools can play an important role in narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, as the latter can improve their lives through better education.
The new government should also revamp the outdated educational system to equip children with new knowledge that can better support businesses, which are now increasingly dependent on technologies, said Mr Suphachai.
Echoing the focus on technological issues, Vikrom Kromadit, chairman of Amata Corporation, called on the new government to seriously consider plans to attract foreign investors in technology-driven businesses.
Labour-intensive manufacturing rarely attracts younger investors these days as they are interested in high technology and cleaner energy management, said Mr Vikrom.
Chadatip Chutrakul, chief executive of Siam Piwat Co, said she believes digital platforms will be an important tool for businesses to draw more tourists.
The new government also needs to remove barriers to tourism-related activities, she said. Among them is a tax imposed on artistic items brought into the country for display in exhibitions.
"We cannot be among prominent countries organising global art events because of this type of tax," said Mrs Chadatip.