The new government cannot afford a honeymoon period as it plans to give away 10,000 baht in digital money to every Thai aged 16 and older by Feb 1 next year, says Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin.
He was speaking after he led the members of his new cabinet to take the oath of office before His Majesty the King at Ambara Villa in Dusit Palace. The swearing-in of ministers in the presence of His Majesty the King is required by the constitution.
After they were sworn in, the tenure of the outgoing government officially ended. The new government must make a policy statement in parliament on Sept 11 before it can start work.
Mr Srettha said he and cabinet ministers will take advice from His Majesty the King and use it as a guideline when carrying out their duties.
"There is no honeymoon for the cabinet. We will start work immediately. When we were forming the government, we went to visit the people in order to gather information from them," said Mr Srettha, who also serves as finance minister.
"Today, the bread-and-butter issues are a major concern. I am confident all ministers will be able to work hard and roll out measures that will benefit the people. Some things can be done quickly, some may not. But we will not use this as an excuse to take no action. What can be done quickly must be done first," the prime minister said.
He said that his first task will be to visit people in Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Nong Khai on Friday to hear their concerns.
He also said a special cabinet meeting will be held today to discuss details of the government's policy statement, which will be delivered in parliament this coming Monday.
He declined to confirm whether he would head the government's economic team, saying the economy was an important issue and he would discuss the matter with all the coalition parties first.
He also said he has yet to put a deputy prime minister in charge of national security. Further talks with coalition partners are also needed before that appointment can be made, he added.
"There are some ministers that I have only now met for the first time. I will have to listen to them first," he said.
Asked when he will assess the performance of his cabinet ministers, Mr Srettha said: "It depends. Some issues may take time to handle. Each minister should be treated fairly.
"I assure you that the administration is the people's government. All who come here today represent all the people ... there are lots of problems [waiting to be resolved]. We will work tirelessly every day and during every minute. Our work will be based on people's needs," said Mr Srettha.
Speaking at Pheu Thai's headquarters later yesterday, Mr Srettha said the 10,000-baht-digital wallet scheme will be implemented by Feb 1, and again insisted that the 10,000 baht would be given in a single payment, not in instalments.
"We are working with relevant agencies to roll out the scheme as quickly as possible, and the money will be given all at once," the PM said.
The 10,000-baht giveaway is aimed at stimulating spending in local communities in the first six months, with the help of blockchain technology that will ensure the money is spent within a 4-kilometre radius of the recipients' registered address in an effort to spur local economies.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Suriya Jungrungreangkit yesterday said that Pheu Thai's election pledge to cap fares on Bangkok's electric train network to a flat rate of 20 baht per trip is unlikely to be included in the government's policy statement.
"The policy cannot be implemented straight away as budget must be allocated elsewhere to address other pressing economic concerns first," he said.
Mr Suriya added that the 20-baht flat fare is nevertheless expected to materialise within two years.