At 9:10 AM on May 28 at Parliament, Sirikanya Tansakul, list MP and deputy leader of the Progressive People’s Party, discussed the first reading of the 2026 Budget Bill. The party has prepared 49 speakers under the theme “Helping the Government Find the Budget,” focusing on cutting unnecessary expenditures, such as those prone to corruption, inefficiency, or lacking urgency.
She emphasized that standard budget allocations must align with the current situation, including sectors like public health, welfare, agriculture, and people’s livelihoods. The opening debate will highlight how to improve allocation efficiency, reduce corruption risks, and reprioritize urgent projects.
When asked if the 2026 budget addresses current economic needs, Sirikanya criticized it as outdated, likening it to a system that has been asleep since the COVID-19 era. She said it fails to respond to the looming trade war, offering insufficient stimulus funds — only 20 billion baht this year compared to 200 billion last year. The FTA fund to support farmers was excluded, despite early knowledge of Trump's return and the agricultural sector's vulnerability.
She pointed out that most projects look identical to previous years, with notable increases in “soft power” projects, now nearing 10 billion baht. The Progressive People’s Party will scrutinize whether these deserve continued funding amid economic hardships.
Regarding the 157 billion baht from the digital wallet budget redirected into four stimulus projects, Sirikanya said the initiatives — infrastructure, water, tourism, exports, and community investment — are conceptually sound but suffer from a lack of planning. The government did not outline preferred project types, sizes, or economic goals. The project selection process was rushed, with a single-day Cabinet approval round that had to be rescheduled due to a system crash.
She concluded that this reflects a lack of foresight and preparation, echoing past failures like the 1.5 trillion baht emergency loan fund, much of which was either unused or poorly allocated. Sirikanya criticized the government for failing to learn from these mistakes.