PUBLISHED : 10 Mar 2024 at 18:56
Political activist Ruangkrai Leekitwattana is asking Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to look into the necessity of a 138-million-baht renovation and procurement project at Government House.
Mr Ruangkrai argues that the plan defies Mr Srettha’s order to cut unnecessary expenses so funds can be diverted for crucial investments to drive economic growth.
The activist on Sunday said he has sent his request to have the budget-worthiness of the renovation project assessed to Mr Srettha via express mail.
The project aims to be financed using leftover funds from the previous fiscal year since the national budget for the current fiscal year has not been approved by parliament.
According to Mr Ruangkrai, the renovation project goes against an instruction issued by the prime minister during a cabinet meeting on March 3.
During the meeting, Mr Srettha was informed by a House committee vetting the 2024 budget bill and other subcommittees that budget requests from some agencies were duplicates of those from other agencies while their fixed expenses were higher than the investment budgets.
As a result, Mr Srettha instructed state agencies to consider cutting unnecessary expenses, such as spending on PR, training, overseas trips and rental of vehicles.
Mr Ruangkrai said on Sunday that since the renovation project was using the previous fiscal year’s budget, it must be scrutinised under regulations. It must also be determined what budget category the project falls into, he said.
If the project spending goes ahead and is found later to have been wrongfully used, the PM and other officials may be held accountable, he said.
He said a state fund must be prudently utilised for the optimum benefit of the people and the country as a whole.
The 138 million baht earmarked for the Government House renovation and procurement project includes 32 million baht to install smoke detectors inside the Thai Ku Fah building, 11 million baht to develop a digital office system and 8.5 million baht to overhaul the internet and management system, among others.