Govt plans road show on infrastructure investment
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The government on September 26 will launch a campaign to explain the Bt2 trillion infrastructure investment to the general public.
Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra will preside over the opening ceremony at the Government House, said government spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi.
Under the campaign slated for October and November, Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt and chiefs of related agencies will visit 12 provinces located along the routes of high-speed trains. There will be a talk and an exhibition on how this investment would boost growth in the provinces.
The prime minister will join some events, the spokesman said.
Yingluck on Wednesday also joined a dinner with members of the Thai Bankers Association. Teerat said that together they discussed the borrowing bill as well as other economic policies. Attending the dinner are chiefs of all banks.
The road show plan was announced while the Bt2 trillion bill debate will start tomorrow.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong is confident that the Bt2 trillion borrowing bill will be passed into law.
He said on Wednesday that the bill has been carefully and thoroughly prepared and the government is ready to hear comments from over 100 opposition MPs lining up for that.
The government is ready to explain the objective of the law before the Constitutional Court, he added.
"As the finance minister who proposed this bill, I see no reason why the bill would not win parliamentary approval. The House Committee screening the bill also admitted that the bill was carefully drafted and clearly contain the project-approval screening process. Under this process, only projects with economic value would be approved. It's not that we are borrowing a huge sum of money and keeping it idly," he said.
The bill is slated for the second and third-round deliberation during September 19-20. The Opposition is seeking a longer period, citing that this is the biggest borrowing deal ever for the country.
He also noted that the only reason that the bill would not pass into law is it violates the Constitution.
"Even if there is a major stumbling block, there is a way to work this out. There's always a solution in this country," he said. "Yet, if the approval is not granted, it would be a pity and this would affect the macro-economic management. Anything slow or late could impact the economy. At the time when external factors are uncontrollable, all parties should support domestic investment. The economy would further expand if we can proceed with the planned investment."
About half of the borrowing will be used to finance the construction of high-speed train, mainly to boost the tourism industry. Meanwhile, some would be invested in double-track rail network to enhance the country's logistics competitiveness as well as mass transit routes.
