No plans to hold censure debate yet, opposition says

The opposition bloc has yet to decide whether or not to table a no-confidence motion against the government during the current parliamentary session.

Chaithawat Tulathon, leader of the opposition bloc and Move Forward Party, said while opposition parties have been gathering information to scrutinise the government, they have not yet agreed on when to table the motion.

He said that key figures of opposition parties will hold a meeting next week to decide on the date.

When asked about the opposition’s ability to keep the government in check, he said: “The opposition parties are not bowing down to the government, but it depends on the quality of the information.

“The government has had many problems. For instance, the government has not been able to spend the budget,” Mr Chaithawat said, referring to the delay in the disbursement of the budget for the 2024 fiscal year over a hold-up in the formation of a coalition government after last year’s election.

“We need to consider whether there is enough information regarding allegations of corruption to file a no-confidence motion,” he said.

However, he said the MFP is ready to file a motion for a general debate without a vote on the government’s performance in April, right before the current parliament session closes.

Chaichana Detdecho, deputy leader of the opposition Democrat Party, said that the Democrat Party has enough information to censure the government during the current parliament session, particularly over its failure to keep its election pledges.

However, Mr Chaichana said the Democrat Party has only 25 MPs in the House, which is not enough to submit a no-confidence motion, adding it should be left to the MFP, as the main opposition party, to initiate the motion.

He was referring to the digital wallet handout, the flagship policy of the Pheu Thai-led government to stimulate the economy, which would see 10,000 baht handed out to about 50 million Thais.

The scheme has not been implemented yet, as the National Anti-Corruption Commission recently sounded various concerns over the 10,000-baht digital wallet scheme.

The legality of the scheme has been called into question as the government plans to request a 500-billion-baht loan to fund it, which goes against Pheu Thai’s election campaign promise that it will not resort to taking out any loans.