Baht Better Spent

Baht Better Spent

On Monday, the Royal Thai Navy defended its controversial purchase of two Chinese submarines at a humungous price tag of B22.5 billion (that's 11-digits, if you're wondering). The purchase incited online backlash for its inopportune timing, given the severe impact of Covid-19 on the economy. Not to mention, speculation of good ole corruption synonymous with a procurement project.

The navy justified the purchase with several reasons -- from the number of submarines employed by neighbouring countries to comparing the cost of submarines as a puny fraction to Thailand's maritime interest -- and argued that the submarines will be paid for using the navy's budget over seven fiscal years.

While I don't have a definitive answer to whether buying more submarines would be in the best interest of Thailand right now, I do have other ideas on how the budget could have been spent.

1. Pay B425 in minimum daily wage to almost 53,000,000 people. Pay B18,000 as monthly salary to 1,250,000 first-time jobbers with a vocational degree. Pay B20,000-baht to 1,125,000 first-time jobbers with a bachelor's degree. Do these numbers seem familiar? These were what the Palang Pracharath Party promised to deliver if they won the election last year. Did any of them come true?

2. Pay B5,000 as monthly relief to 1,500,000 people affected by Covid-19 over the course of three months.

3. Fund Nasa's New Horizons mission to Pluto, which approximately cost US$700 million (B22 billion) according to Forbes, and has plenty left in change.

4. 1,500 new buses that run on electricity or 5,625 new NGV buses to make commuting a bit more pleasant for your average Somchai and Somying (me included), and eco-friendly. According to BMTA's procurement plan for 2017, an electric bus costs B15 million while the NGV buses purchased in 2018 cost almost B4 million each.

5. 7,500 rai will be turned into public parks in Bangkok. According to a 2017 estimate by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, it costs up to B3 million to turn one rai of land into a public park space. To help you visualise, B22.5 billion equals 21 Lumphini Parks.

6. Fund 2 million rai of reforestation to prevent floods. According to a plan proposed by a committee on water and flood management in April, it costs B10.142 billion to reforest 1 million rai.

7. The Supreme Administrative Court ordered the Ministry of Transport and the State Railway of Thailand to pay Hopewell Holdings B25 billion in compensation for wrongful termination of a contract to build a 60km elevated highway and rail system in 1998.

8. Pay 75% of B30 billion in compensation if the government loses a case, lodged against them by an Australian company, for ordering the closure of a gold mine in Phichit with NCPO's S44 order in 2016. OMB, we're so screwed.

Pornchai Sereemongkonpol

Guru section Editor

Guru section Editor

Email : pornchais@bangkokpost.co.th

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