Chamber to play a pro-active role
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Business group will not only identify issues but also suggest solutions to the government, says chief Isara
The Thai Chamber of Commerce has set its sights on playing a pro-active role in a bid to help solve the country’s problems – and not just identify issues, its chairman said yesterday.
Isara Vongkusolkit said the chamber would also promote sustainable economic growth and focus on supporting businesses, mainly in the service sector, to hopefully ensure competitiveness of the Thai private sector amidst Asean integration and global liberalisation.
“As one of the Kingdom’s key private organisations comprising more than 73,000 members, the chamber will not only concentrate on addressing problems but will also help propose solutions to the government. We will adjust ourselves to benefit the value chain,” Isara said yesterday at the chamber’s 32nd annual meeting in Chiang Rai.
“Key solutions to ensure sustainable economic growth involve research and development, innovation, and value-change development.”
As an example of the chamber’s proactive stance on wanting to solve issues effectively and early, Isara said the chamber had proposed that the government set up zoning and help subsidise rice farmers’ costs rather than merely providing direct financial subsidy that was not sustainable.
He said other key solutions to promote sustainable economic growth involved improving logistics and infrastructure development as well as supporting the growth of industries such as wellness, education, advertising, event organisation, e-commerce, and software.
Somkiat Anuras, the chamber’s vice chairman, said Thai economic recovery should be strong in the second quarter next year following the government’s attempt to spur growth.
He said the economy was expected to grow by 4 per cent in 2015 compared to about 1 per cent growth this year.
Speaking at the same event, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda urged provincial governors to further develop infrastructure and city planning to facilitate the establishment of special economic zones (SEZs) in cross-border provinces to promote trade growth under Asean’s integration.
Anupong said the government was highly focused on infrastructure development and facilitation to deliver trade growth, in particular among Asean nations.
Asean is now a major market for Thai trade, accounting for 25 per cent of total trade.
Anupong said that over the next five months, the government would continue to develop infrastructure and proceed with city planning for the five advanced SEZs, while it would also proceed on other SEZs as planned so there were 12 zones in cross-border provinces.
Chamber vice chairman Pornsilp Patcharin-tanakul said government cooperation with the private sector should prioritise public awareness of Asean Economic Community developments.
Pornsilp said the government should revise some regulations and rules of origin in an effort to better protect Thai products after the seamless Asean market is implemented in 2015.
The government should also draft and enforce a Subsidy Act that required each government to implement a fair and reasonable subsidy for every farmer in the country, the vice chairman said.
