Naruepol dissects the National Housing Authority’s budget, urging an end to building more houses and instead focusing on improving the quality of life for the people.
At 15:40 on 30 June 2026, Naruepol Ruangpanyaroj, MP for Bangkok from the People's Party, debated the 2027 budget for the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, stating that while the government reduced funding for quality of life improvements, it increased the budget for new housing projects, which presents three problems.
1. New projects are built without considering all surrounding factors.
2. The quality of the projects is low.
3. The policies are difficult to access.
Naruepol added that in 2026, the National Housing Authority built 6,208 "Housing for Thais" units, but in 2027, this will increase to 16,881 units, requiring over 8 billion baht more in budget. However, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security has not thoroughly analyzed factors, including demand, since many people lack purchasing power due to inflation and economic downturn. Given this, how can they be sure these projects will sell? Currently, there are still 3,678 unsold projects in inventory, causing the government to waste a huge budget on maintenance costs for these unused projects.
Naruepol explained that whether houses sell depends on three factors.
1. Location should be near communities and public transportation, but past projects have been in remote areas. For example, traveling to the parliament requires multiple transfers, totaling eight hours daily, leaving residents exhausted and unable to work or care for their families. New projects continue this pattern.
2. Common areas and green spaces are very limited, often just with dry, dying grass. There is no parking, forcing cars to occupy playgrounds.
3. Management, maintenance, and adequate security must be ensured.
Therefore, if the National Housing Authority cannot do these three things well, how can they be confident new projects will sell? Instead of just building more, authority should be decentralized to local governments, who understand residents’ housing needs best. Beyond housing, localities can develop communities, markets, hospitals, and public transport links to enhance quality of life.
Naruepol continued that the quality of life for residents in National Housing Authority projects remains poor. Since 1976 to 2025, over 755,833 units have been built, many below standard, prompting complaints like "I can’t live here, this house is scary," echoing a popular song by Uno Laothong. Inspections found structural cracks, substandard materials and fixtures, inadequate lighting, and poor security. There is also a lack of usable common and green spaces. Residents have endured these poor conditions for over 20 years, risking injury from broken awnings and facing rodent and cockroach infestations causing odors and health issues.
Naruepol noted that the 2027 budget cuts funding for improving existing housing quality by 70%, leaving only 43.1 million baht to develop 32 projects—about 1.3 million baht each. This budget barely covers water treatment. Repairs funding was also cut to 144 million baht, enough only for replacing light bulbs and repainting, insufficient to address residents’ quality of life problems. He suggested increasing this budget or buying back housing with structural issues.
Finally, he criticized policies as incomplete. For instance, the budget for the Community Organizations Development Institute (CODI) was cut, affecting important projects like Baan Mankong and Baan Por Piang that assist 2,000 households. Residents seeking repair funds must get permission from landowners, i.e., the state, causing inconvenience. Even when approved, the 50,000 baht budget is insufficient for repairs. Meanwhile, CODI allocated 25.8 million baht to climate change readiness training, which seems unrelated to its core mission.
Naruepol asked whether it is appropriate amid an economic crisis to cut budgets for improving citizens’ quality of life. He questioned the government if it should stop building more houses and instead focus on enhancing people's quality of life.