Debate 'skips real issues'

Rosana slams Puea Thai for ignoring the people

Source: Bangkok Post
02 Mar, 2011

A leading Bangkok senator has attacked the opposition for "rambling on" about last year's political violence when there are far more pressing issues that affect the people to be discussed.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva chairs a meeting of the government’s national reform committee at Government House yesterday as the coalition comes under fire over rising prices of basic commodities. PATTANAPONG HIRUNARD

Senator Rosana Tositrakul said with the prospect of steeper consumer goods prices, the opposition could do better in the upcoming no-confidence debate than focus on last year's issues.

The Puea Thai Party is set to grill the prime minister and nine ministers in its proposed censure debate. But in radio programmes and online media yesterday, many people complained that the opposition party might do a better job if it focused on household economic issues.

The government whip said yesterday it would propose the debate dates be from March 9 to 12 before the no-confidence vote on March 13.

Ms Rosana said the opposition's censure motion submitted yesterday to the House Speaker and expected to take place next week, had wrong priorities. It revolves around the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and is not responsive to the current needs of the people affected by price hikes, she said.

She said the government's failed management of cooking palm oil and the prospect of soaring goods prices should dominate the no-confidence debate.

The cost of living, particularly food and consumer product prices, have risen sharply even though the Commerce Ministry maintained yesterday that inflation at 2.95% in the first two months of this year remained under control.

Ahead of the censure debate, Prime Minister and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva ordered every Democrat MP yesterday to make door-to-door visits in their constituencies and ask voters how they were coping with the steeper prices.

Within a week Democrat MPs were expected to drop by 2,500 households each and report their findings to Mr Abhisit to a party meeting.

Concerns have been raised following the request of producers of soybean oil, fertiliser and pasteurised milk to increase their prices yesterday. Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai, who is one of the targets of the censure debate, said soybean oil producers demanded a price increase of 19 baht for a one-litre bottle and producers of fertiliser and ready-to-drink milk sought a 10% price hike each.

The proposed hike for soybean oil would raise the price by 41.3% from the price cap of 46 baht to 65 baht.Mrs Porntiva warned about a possible shortage of sugar because the local price is well below the international price, which will lead to illegal exports.

Steeper fuel prices may further elevate frozen ready-to-eat seafood.

Mrs Rosana said the planned censure debate will not do the public any good if the opposition fails to allocate speakers to address the issue.

She said the protests in the Middle East stemmed from consumer price hikes.

"The issue is a time bomb for any government and our government isn't doing enough," she said.

"It used to lecture about how to manage [the economy] but it utterly failed to do it when it came to power."

She said the opposition should make an effort to find proof to back its allegations that government politicians were behind the palm oil shortage.

Mrs Rosana said, instead of tackling the problem using a price mechanism by importing cooking palm oil from Malaysia, the government opted to subsidise the local price.

The cost of imported oil from Malaysia is 38.52 baht per litre, compared with the cost of local production of 54.45 baht a litre. The government's approach encouraged hoarding and stockpiling of palm oil, making the situation worse, she said.

The debate which targets the political violence related to the red shirt protests and the prime minister's dual nationality is nonsense, she said.

"Don't turn this into a political soap opera," she said.

"Scratch where it itches if the opposition wants to make this debate worthwhile even though it may not be able to bring down the government.

"If the opposition does its job, it will give the government a hard time," she said.