MP Questions Extravagant Cost of Parliament Car Park: "Are the Walls Lined with Gold?"
People MP raises eyebrows at the proposed £100 million-plus budget for a new multi-storey car park at Thailand's parliament, dwarfing the cost of entire government buildings
A Thai Member of Parliament has voiced strong concerns over the eye-watering budget allocated for a new car park at the national assembly.
Rukchanok Srinork, a representative for the progressive People Party, took to social media to express her disbelief at the 4.6 billion baht price tag, suggesting the cost was so inflated that one might expect the "bricks to be made of gold" or the "walls plastered with Vibranium."
Her outburst follows the revelation by fellow People MP and political development committee chair, Parit Wacharasindhu, regarding the tendering process for the car park's design and construction.
While the initial design phase was budgeted at a more modest 104.5 million baht, the total estimated cost for the multi-storey car park itself has ballooned to a staggering 4.588 billion baht.
Rukchanok drew stark comparisons with the cost of other substantial government buildings, noting that the 30-storey State Audit Office, "with all its fancy bits," came in at 2.3 billion baht.
She also pointed out that the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission complex, including multiple buildings and two car parks, cost 2.6 billion baht.
"A car park for 4.6 billion baht?" she quipped in her online post. "Are the bricks made of gold, or are the walls plastered with Vibranium?"
Under Thai regulations, any government-funded project exceeding 1 billion baht requires Cabinet approval due to its significant impact on the national budget.
Rukchanok stated she would be watching closely to see if the new Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin of the Pheua Thai party, would give the green light to such an expensive undertaking in the current economic climate.
She further challenged the rationale behind the exorbitant expenditure, asking: "Thai people, have a think about this information. This 4.6 billion baht parliament car park project – who do you reckon they're really trying to make things easier for? The public or the construction blokes?"
Rukchanok's pointed questions have ignited public debate about government spending priorities and the necessity of such a lavish car park facility, particularly at a time when the Thai economy faces various challenges.
The scrutiny now falls on the Cabinet to justify or potentially reconsider this significant allocation of public funds.
