I was misquoted on Cabinet audio system, Panadda says
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PM's Office minister ML Panadda Diskul said yesterday that a contract for a sophisticated audio system for the Cabinet conference room had yet to be signed.
Panadda, also permanent secretary of the office, said on Facebook that he had never given a media interview on the requisitioning of the system since he is not directly involved.
The director general of the Department of Public Works and Town and Country Planning is in charge of the project, he said. And he had made it clear to reporters that there was no contract to acquire the system.
The vendor’s quote could be subject to negotiation and might come down below the reference price in line with the policy issued by Pol General Adul Saengsingkaew, a deputy chief of the National Council for Peace and Order.
The media report had misquoted him, he added.
According to press reports, Panadda on Thursday boasted that the new technology adopted for the Cabinet room was on par with that of the White House.
Room 501, reserved for the Council of Ministers meetings, has a sound system operated by a touch screen, a first for Thailand. It also is equipped with 89 new microphones priced at Bt145,000 each, a 55-inch high-definition video wall and videoconferencing facilities.
The renovation of the room, together with two other conference rooms, Rooms 301 and 302, cost Bt69 million.
Ruangkrai Leekijwattana, a legal official from the Pheu Thai Party, has called on Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to check the purchase proposal.
He said he suspected irregularities, as the quote in the report was much higher than the market price of microphones with similar specifications, which go for about Bt99,000 without installation, and can be discounted by 15-20 per cent.
He called into question why the microphones and audio equipment were installed even before the purchase contract had been signed.
