The People's Party has assembled a 30-member team to debate the 2027 budget totaling 3.788 trillion baht. They highlight that the government allocates funds to address old problems rather than focusing on investment. Attention is called to the Ministry of Digital Economy's budget, which increased by 30%, and the Interior Ministry's budget following a scandal involving fraud in local civil service examinations.
On 29 June 2026, Mr. Natthapong Ruangpanyawut, leader of the People's Party and opposition leader in the House of Representatives, said before the parliamentary budget session for fiscal year 2027 that while the budget may seem improved on the surface, it primarily addresses past issues. For example, investment budgets have been significantly cut, especially those unrelated to future industries. Instead, funds are allocated for building unnecessary roads and large buildings, which merely fix old problems. The major gaps remain in investment, particularly in agriculture and disaster management budgets. Suspiciously, some ministries like Transport have had unnecessary investment funds cut substantially, while the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society received a 30% budget increase. Questions arise concerning the TH-AI Passport project, which expanded from about 30 AI-related projects to hundreds, including significant off-budget funds from the Digital Economy Fund related to TH-AI Passport.
Regarding the People's Party's preparation for debate, Ms. Sirikanya Tansakul said there will be 30 debaters covering various issues of public interest at this time, such as where the investment budget cuts will come from and how this will affect the contractors who regularly receive such funds and support certain political factions. She urged close attention to the People's Party's debate.
As for the military budget, despite current difficulties, we have methods to improve procurement efficiency without increasing the budget. However, the main strategy does not seem to clearly reflect the government's core policies. Promises advertised at tens of thousands have only achieved results in the thousands—for example, the volunteer nurse and volunteer soldier programs aimed for hundreds of thousands but ended with only 20,000 participants. These issues will be addressed within the security budget. Additionally, the budget for the southern border has been reduced.
Ms. Sirikanya emphasized that the 2027 budget reflects the chronic wounds of Thailand’s budget system. Unfortunately, this government, which took office, has no clear solutions to break this cycle. Therefore, only regular expenditures continue to increase steadily, while investment spending is cut. The budget deficit remains substantial this year.
Regarding the Interior Ministry’s budget, which society is closely watching, Ms. Sirikanya said the focus is especially on local budgets related to corruption in local civil service examinations. This issue will affect the 2027 budget. Although the funds used specifically for the exams appear limited, other operational budgets are being used for exam organization, reflecting how personnel selection is handled within local budgets.
When asked if there were concerns that scrutinizing the Ministry of Digital Economy and the Interior Ministry might backfire on the party's investigations, Ms. Sirikanya said she was not worried because the party conducts straightforward government oversight. She added that the public listening to the debates will judge whether the protests are reasonable or simply protective of certain officials. Therefore, the party works diligently and maintains rigorous scrutiny as always.