Imprudent spending of taxpayers' hard-earned money

Take the rice-pledging scheme. Its avowed goal is to help rice farmers, who, with their family members, number 18 million, or 28 per cent of our population and who have an average income of just Bt12,397 per year.

But, surprise, surprise, rich rice farmers grow more rice than poor ones, and PM Yingluck should have known this before the scheme was approved. In fact, Ammar Siamwalla of the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI) states that 20 per cent of the wealthiest rice farmers produce 42 per cent of the total rice supply – so, 42 per cent of what you’ve been paying out has been to those who don’t really need help. Yet even now, PM Yingluck insists on giving your alms to the rich.

TDRI studies show that the poorest 53 per cent of rice farmers cannot produce enough rice for their own consumption – let alone have any left to sell to the government. Yet, PM Yingluck persists with her scheme, which over half of the intended target market cannot benefit from.

Also, there is nothing in the scheme to ensure that the project’s benefits are long-lasting.

PM Yingluck should have had TDRI or any economics faculty study the issue before presenting it to Parliament, and used the research to design a programme aimed squarely at sustainably raising the income of poor farmers. For example, out of 23 major rice-producing countries tracked by the US Department of Agriculture, our yields of 2.65 metric tonnes per hectare rank us 21st in the world, far behind the Philippines and Vietnam (3.46mt/ha and 4.48mt/ha, respectively). Selling high-yielding varieties of rice at subsidised prices, etc., and targeting only low-income families, would have helped those who need our help and been sustainable.

And now, the government is expanding its folly by seeking approval for Bt2 trillion on mega-projects, many of which haven’t even had feasibility studies conducted. Also, the frequent cases of derailed trains shows that we can’t even keep what we have in running condition – and we want high-speed trains? How sound is that?

Look before we leap. On the mega-projects, post feasibility studies on the Internet and have thorough debate first. Don’t let the spendthrifts in Parliament spend your money on something we’ll regret for decades.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok