Surachet expressed concern over the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation's budget decline yet persistent efforts to do everything, urging the new minister to stop using flashy but unproductive language and raising concerns about the "secretariat's frequent flights" issue. Tags: [budget concerns, Ministry of Higher Education, Surachet, government accountability, overseas trips]
On 10 July 2026, during the special committee meeting reviewing the 2027 fiscal year budget bill, specifically Section 13 concerning the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and its affiliated agencies, Surachet Praveenwongwut, MP from the People’s Party and committee member, voiced concern about the budget allocation and operational direction of MHESI. Overall, he encouraged the ministry, noting it faced a significant 7.5% budget cut. He said he did not want further cuts because research and innovation work is vital for the nation's future.Tags: [budget review, MHESI, parliamentary committee, Surachet Praveenwongwut, research funding]
However, he said detailed scrutiny must be passed to the subcommittee for strict examination, especially regarding past scandals like the "secretariat's frequent flights," where budgets were often spent on overseas trips to sign memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that were mere Meet and Greet events without real effectiveness. He hopes improvements will be made so no lavish trips appear in this year’s budget.Tags: [budget scrutiny, overseas trips, MOUs, inefficiency, government spending]
Surachet also raised a key question about MHESI's lack of major national success stories sufficient to satisfy the public that it can generate tangible jobs and income in the industrial sector. Recently, the ministry has promoted the "Traffy Fondue" complaint system as a success. While he commended it as a good system, he noted it is only a small software, not a nationwide achievement capable of transforming the economy as it should.Tags: [success stories, industrial impact, Traffy Fondue, MHESI achievements, economic transformation]
“If everything is important, then nothing is important. Saying everything is a priority means in the end nothing concrete emerges. MHESI must allocate budgets to create real, tangible change, not focus on trivial projects or overblown advertising,” Surachet said.Tags: [budget prioritization, tangible results, government projects, MHESI, criticism]
The People’s Party committee member also referred to Deputy Prime Minister and MHESI Minister Yossanan Wongsawat, noting that although he is a new minister, he is skilled in marketing. This is evident in his effort to insert many buzzwords into the budget plan to appear as if he is handling everything. However, in reality, the Science, Research and Innovation Promotion Fund (SRIPF), a crucial mechanism for advancing the country, was cut by 31.87%. Surachet questioned how MHESI could achieve concrete results as marketed without changing its budget allocation approach.Tags: [Yossanan Wongsawat, budget marketing, SRIPF cuts, ministry leadership, budget allocation]}