Chamber to dwell on 'long term'

The government needs to work on developing each industrial cluster, boost private competitiveness, believe in the free market and rely less on subsidies, strengthen Thai enterprises ahead of the Asean Economic Community and take corruption seriously, according to the TCC.
Chamber chairman Phongsak Assakul said yesterday that business was expecting closer cooperation from the government to help drive economic growth sustainably.
Business expects that, from here on out, any new government policy will help strengthen the private sector and not distort the market or create any problems for their operations amid the high competition in the world.
For instance, the private sector expects that the government’s move to raise the minimum wage to Bt300 will be the last policy that creates difficulties for them. Now the government should draw up policies that benefit enterprises and reflect real supply and demand in the market.
To alleviate the hardships to business operators created by the nationwide implementation of the Bt300 wage scheduled for early next year, the government is expected to help develop human resources in each industry.
The chamber’s proposals will be submitted to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on November 18 during the TCC’s annual conference in Bangkok.
Under the concept of promoting the economy together with happiness even as it tries to suppress wages, the chamber will continue to act on its motto and commitments in a bid to strengthen the private sector and economy for the future, Assakul said.
The commitments are to reduce income disparity, direct economic development with self-sufficiency, fight corruption, promote a good society with corporate social responsibility and good governance, and prepare local businesses to operate on the international stage and cash in on the AEC.
The chamber will hold its annual meeting from November 16-18 at Impact Muang Thong Thani. It will organise a celebration for its 80th anniversary. Symposiums on “Sufficiency Economy for Sustain-able and Balanced Growth: Solu-tion to the World” and “Gross Domestic Happiness” will be held at the event.
Bhutan Prime Minister Lyounchoen Jigmi Y Thinley and Supachai Panichpakdi, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, will be special guest speakers. At this is the 30th anniversary of the chamber’s meetings, it will stage “TCC Expo 2012” from November 16-23.
Vichai Assarasakorn, secretary-general of the TCC, said more than 800 exhibitors and 500,000 visitors were expected to join the expo. Also, the chamber will conduct business matching for Thai and foreign enterprises from 20 countries to promote linkages for Thai enterprises to international traders.