Parliament Allocates 32.5 Hours for Debate on Draft Government Policy

Bangkok: The whips of the four parties have established a schedule for the debate on the draft government policy, set to take place on April 9 and 10, with a total duration of 32.5 hours. At the Parliament building, Mr. Sophon Saram, President of the Parliament and Speaker of the House of Representatives, convened a meeting with representatives from the four whips: the opposition, the government, the Senate, and the Cabinet. Participants included Mr. Koravee Prisnanantakul and Mr. Sarun Timsuwan from the government, Mr. Parit Wacharasindhu and Mr. Sathit Wongnongteuy from the opposition, Mr. Wuttichat Kalyanamit from the Senate, and Mr. Paradorn Prisnanantakul and Ms. Nan Bunthida Somchai from the Cabinet. The primary agenda was to allocate time for the debate on government policies.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Koravee announced the results of the meeting, detailing that the government's policy statement will commence at 8:30 AM on April 9 and continue until 2:00 AM the following day. It will then resume at 8:00 AM and conclude at 11:00 PM on April 10. The time distribution is as follows: the chairman will have 1 hour, the Prime Minister 1.5 hours, the Cabinet 6 hours, the Senate 4 hours, the coalition government parties 5.5 hours, and the opposition parties 14.30 hours.

Mr. Koravee emphasized that both the opposition and the government agreed on the importance of providing ample time for scrutiny and response to ensure public understanding of upcoming policies. Mr. Wuttichat mentioned that despite requests for additional time, the Senate will maintain its 4-hour allocation. A meeting of the Senate whips will be held on April 8 to streamline discussions and avoid redundancy.

Meanwhile, Mr. Atthakorn assured that the opposition will thoroughly examine the ruling party's policies, assessing their feasibility and alignment with campaign promises.