Thailand’s prime minister sets long-term vision for nation

During her recent speech on the national television channel NBT marking her first three months in office, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra highlighted the achievements of her coalition government led by the Pheu Thai Party along with detailed plans for 2025, focusing on economic stimulation and addressing pressing social issues.

Paetongtarn took office in September following the ousting of former Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin by the Constitutional Court.

In her speech, the prime minister said her administration’s achievements were built on the foundations laid by her predecessor, Srettha Thavisin.

She acknowledged that while there are not many differences from previous policies, adjustments have been made to align with current realities and coalition party proposals. She described her administration as a unified team dedicated to serving public interest.

Among the long-term policies mentioned in her speech, Paetongtarn stressed the importance of stimulating the economy, particularly through support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which she referred to as the backbone of Thailand's economy.

Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra (Photo: nationthailand.com)

Additionally, she aims to position Thailand as a regional hub for artificial intelligence (AI).

With major corporations already investing over 1 trillion THB into establishing data centres, the government sees significant potential in leading this sector.

The Thai government will work to enhance training programs in AI, electric vehicles, and semiconductors to boost workforce competitiveness.

The government also faces challenges such as flooding and drought, prompting a focus on sustainable solutions such as flood management projects and large-scale infrastructure improvements.

The Thai PM said that her government has devised short, medium and long-term measures to ensure people have a sufficient supply of water. These include studying ways of allowing citizens to dredge canals; and exploring sustainable solutions such as floodway projects and large-scale infrastructure to mitigate flooding.

As for the long-term policies, Paetongtarn said one of the most important ones was reducing PM2.5 air pollution, both in terms of particle concentration in the air and health problems caused by air pollution.

Together with the long-term policies, Paetongtarn also detailed five initiatives for 2025, which aimed at improving daily life for citizens, including affordable housing projects and reduced subway fares.

The five initiatives are the Village and Community Development Programme (SML Project); One District, One Scholarship; digital handouts; household debt resolution; and homes for Thais.

Paetongtarn announced the revival of the “One District, One Scholarship” programme, funded by revenue from government lottery sales. The initiative will also include the “One District, One Summer Camp” project, which will give Thai children an opportunity to go overseas for language training.

The government's digital wallet scheme is progressing into its second phase, with practical benefits expected for 14 million citizens within 2024. The third phase is expected to be completed by 2025.

Plans for debt relief for citizens are also in the works, designed to stimulate an economy which is showing signs of stagnation due to weak spending and rising household debt.

The achievements of the government led by Prime Minister Paetongtarn have received support from the business sector. Sanan Angubolkul, President of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, praised the government's efforts, especially in attracting investment in areas such as electric vehicle manufacturing, semiconductors, and data centres.

However, the opposition People's Party (PP) said that the government led by the Pheu Thai coalition has not met the people's expectations even though it has completed nearly half of its term, which includes the time when Srettha Thavisin was in office.

It is not easy for the government of Thailand's youngest prime minister to realise these ambitious plans. However, Paetongtarn believes that with public consensus, a promising future can be achieved for Thailand.

NDO