Akkarasaenkiri, Kla Party MP, has partially understood the government's 2027 budget but remains only 50:50 convinced by the explanations. He warns that energy transition funding should be widely spread like rain across the sky, not concentrated in a few areas.
At 19:30 at the Parliament building, Mr. Akkarasaenkiri Lohwira, MP for Chaiyaphum from the Kla Party, spoke during a House of Representatives session to consider the draft annual budget bill for fiscal year 2027 amounting to 3.788 trillion baht. He said he and fellow Kla Party members want to see improved livelihoods for Thai people, especially grassroots farmers, gaining opportunities to raise their living standards. Initially, before hearing the government's explanation, he was confused about the 2027 budget, noting that development budgets for provinces, agriculture, and water resources had been cut despite being essential requests from the public.
However, after hearing the government side’s explanation, especially from Mr. Pradorn Prissanantakul, Minister to the Prime Minister's Office, he tried to see it positively, acknowledging the effort toward zero-based budgeting. He agreed that without this, the country would continue using the old method of budgeting at least one year in advance, which addresses problems only after they occur rather than proactively, failing to meet the constantly changing context such as drought and super El Niño.
He proposed the government prioritize using the central budget overseen by the Prime Minister, especially funds to handle the ongoing and upcoming drought crisis. Currently, with a dry spell during the rainy season, many agencies predict the possibility of a super El Niño—meaning either extreme drought or flooding—which will inevitably impact farmers. Thus, the central budget should be used proactively, not just for compensation after damage.
First, urgent improvements are needed for water supply so that people in both urban and rural areas have sufficient clean tap water. Additionally, increasing water sources for agriculture, both inside and outside the Royal Irrigation Department’s areas, will help farmers cope with dry spells. Support for the Royal Rainmaking Operations and Agricultural Aviation is also crucial, as many people rely on these efforts. Every baht invested today to prevent and prepare for droughts and floods will save far more than post-disaster relief.
He urged the government to accelerate land surveying, a foundational step to solving citizens' land issues and overlapping state land boundaries. Currently, requests for boundary surveys have accumulated for years across agencies like the Department of Lands, the Agricultural Land Reform Office, and other ministries. With the government's push for the One Map project, an integrated state land boundary mapping initiative crucial to resolving overlapping areas and clarifying land rights for citizens, speeding up these efforts is necessary. However, delays persist due to budget, personnel, and legal constraints that prevent involving external agencies or experts to assist, limiting capacity. Therefore, he requested the government consider allocating additional budget for this.
"In summary, Kla Party members have started to understand this budget allocation but remain only 50% convinced by the explanations. Our party leader, Captain Thammanat Prompao, conveyed that he is still cautious about trusting easily. He also emphasized that the budget must be used efficiently. Whether it is the central budget, economic stimulus, or energy transition funds, they should not be concentrated but spread evenly like rain across the sky. Although budget details still raise questions, we ask the parliament and committees to help refine them to better serve the people."