Pheu Thai’s digital wallet plan less costly than other parties’ schemes: Somchai

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE PHEU THAI CAMPAIGN-PLEDGED digital wallet policy would incur a relatively smaller sum of the taxpayer’s money in comparison to those promised by other camps, remarked former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn today (Apr.13).

Somchai, who is contesting the May 14 general election in party-listed mode under the Thai Liberal tickets, posted on his Facebook page to contend that the Pheu Thai promise made on campaign stumps to provide 10,000 baht in digital wallet for each of all adolescents and adults to buy goods and services in six months in a radius of four kilometers from their census-registered home would cost a relatively smaller amount of the taxpayer’s money, compared to others.

The once-and-for-all 10,000-baht digital wallet would cost some 540 billion baht whilst the Palang Pracharath populist campaign to provide 3,000 to 5,000 baht in cost-of-living allowance for elderly people on monthly basis would total over two trillion baht throughout a four-year legislative term, accounting for four times as much as the Pheu Thai policy, Somchai pointed out.

The 700-baht and 1,000-baht state welfare card to be provided monthly for each of an estimated 14 million people under the Palang Pracharath and Ruam Thai Sang Chart campaigns would amount to 466 billion baht and 672 billion baht in the taxpayer’s money respectively throughout a four-year legislative term, Somchai remarked.

The Pheu Thai is having a trio of partisan contestants for prime minister including real estate tycoon Settha Taweesin who announced the sensational digital wallet policy whilst Palang Pracharath leader Prawit Wongsuwan is contesting the May 14 election as sole partisan candidate for prime minister and caretaker prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha is running to retain power under the Ruam Thai Sang Chart tickets.

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Former election commissioner and Thai Liberal party-listed contestant Somchai Srisutthiyakorn. Top photo: Matichon Weekly, Front Page photo: Matichon

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