A former election commissioner has pointed out that the second phase of the 10,000-baht cash handout scheme risks violating the law as the government is due to distribute the money to 4 million elderly Thais during Chinese New Year, which is a few days before the elections of the chiefs of provincial administrative organisations (PAOs).
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn posted on his Facebook account on Thursday that the government is trying to claim that all people aged 60 years should be considered vulnerable because they have no income and need to be taken care of.
He said it is using this generalised claim as a pretext to distribute the money without risking being accused of using the 40 billion baht budget to sway public opinion ahead of the local elections.
The handout is scheduled to be made by Jan 29 while the elections will take place on on Feb 1.
Mr Somchai said he was certain someone would file a petition to impeach the government for violating Section 9 of the State Fiscal and Financial Disciplines Act BE 2561 (2018), specifically the paragraph that states:
"The Council of Ministers must not carry out the administration of state affairs in a manner concentrating upon the creation of political popularity likely to prejudice the national economic system and the public at large over the long term."
Niphon Bunyamanee, a former deputy leader of the Democrat Party and a former PAO chief, said the cash handouts would be unlikely to stimulate the economy as claimed.
"The scheme is just an advertisement for the government to gain more popularity," he said.
"Candidates from the government party [Pheu Thai] or those close to the government will benefit from this. At the same time, competitors do not have the same level of resources to create such an advantage," he said, referring to the proximity of the planned handout to the elections.
He said the government should focus on sustainable economic policies, promoting investment to create productivity, employment, and income for the people, especially investment in skills tied to digital technology and AI.
Former senator Somchai Sawangkarn said the upcoming handout would likely be in violation of the State Fiscal and Financial Disciplines Act BE 2561 and other laws.
