Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has admitted he felt "heavy-hearted" about the country's economic prospects next year, describing the current state of the economy as being in a crisis.
The premier stressed the government is looking to prioritise the resumption of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union over investments in infrastructure projects to nurture the economic well-being of the country.
In an interview with Dailynews Talk 2023 on Wednesday, Mr Srettha expressed his feelings about the economy which he says is beset by crisis: "Which I think everyone is well aware of," he said.
The prime minister added he was particularly concerned about low wages, "in addition to a raft of other problems." Employers are resisting attempts by the government for an an increase in minimum wage rises proposed by a tripartite panel.
Mr Srettha said he believed the focus should be placed on investments in clean energy, which should be accelerated alongside the resumption of the FTA negotiations with the EU after the talks were suspended in 2014 due to the coup. "The FTA is a goal which [the government] regards as more important than the infrastructure improvements," Mr Srettha said.
Also important, he said, is the promotion of border trade and an increase in skilled labour and trained manpower to attract foreign investments.
Turning to energy, Mr Srettha said the government is working on curbing next year's power tariff at 4.2 baht per kilowatt-hour (unit), a plan expected to appease the industrial sector and households. The move came after the Energy Regulatory Commission on Nov 30 approved increasing the power tariff, applicable between January and April 2024, by 17.3% to 4.68 baht a unit, up from 3.99 baht a unit currently.
Still, the premier said the country should shift to more sustainable ways to manage power usage in the long term, such as adopting renewable energy.
"The government is encouraging individuals to install solar panels at home. Not only does it produce renewable energy, but the surplus electricity can also be sold," he said.
Meanwhile, 88,954 people nationwide have registered for the government's debt-relief programme at the end of the 12-day registration process on Wednesday. Most applicants registered online, while a smaller number did so at debt alleviation centres.
The applicants who registered have a combined debt totalling 4.8 billion baht.
The programme aims to help those owing debts to some 58,947 non-mainstream, private lenders.