Sahasawat, an MP from the People's Party, urged the Prime Minister to promptly sign off on the People's Party's Social Security Bill for submission to Parliament to be considered alongside the Cabinet's version. He noted that the Cabinet's bill merely patches up benefits without touching the fund's structure or transparency issues.
On 6 November 2026, Sahasawat Khumkhong, an MP for Chonburi from the People's Party, commented on the Cabinet's approval of a draft Social Security Act (version ..) B.E. .... as proposed by the Ministry of Labor to be submitted for parliamentary consideration. He said the People's Party had submitted its own Social Security Bill, known as the “Reclaim Social Security” draft, to the House of Representatives and forwarded it to the Prime Minister’s desk since 1 May, awaiting certification as a financial bill. However, more than half a year later, the Prime Minister has shown no sign of signing or discussing this bill at all.
Sahasawat said that during the general election campaign, all political parties promised voters they would “reform social security.” But after the election and forming the government, those promises to workers have been forgotten. The Cabinet's approved bill does not genuinely reform the social security fund’s structure; it only makes minor adjustments to benefits and small details, which is just like patching up old problems.
He continued that true social security reform goes beyond just improving benefits. The core is reforming and restructuring the Social Security Office and fund to ensure transparency, accountability, and true representation of insured persons and employers. Over the past 1–2 years, Thai society has discussed and reached consensus that reform must cover the composition of the Social Security Committee (the SSO board), proportions of various subcommittees, decision-making processes for investing the more than 2 trillion baht fund, and setting benefit directions. The record-high voter turnout for the Social Security Board election, overwhelmingly choosing representatives advocating structural reform, reflects a nationwide consensus on this issue.
Sahasawat pointed out that the People's Party’s Social Security Bill is the only draft addressing the root structural problems genuinely. While he disagrees with several points in the Cabinet’s draft, in a parliamentary democracy, such important legislation affecting millions should be openly and equally considered, whether proposed by government or opposition. This allows the public to transparently compare the strengths and weaknesses of each version.
“This is not the time for political games but the time to reform social security according to the social consensus and intentions promised by all parties during the election,” Sahasawat concluded.