Bangkok: The People's Government administration team held discussions with the Digital Council to propose a vision for driving the digital economy and unlocking the potential of Thai SMEs.

According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Pawut Pongwitayapanu and Mr. Isariya Pairipaiyarith, members of the People's Government's economic and reform administration team, along with party-list candidates such as Mr. Theerachart Kaotrakul, Mr. Panjamapong Sermsawatdee, and Mr. Nithikorn Boonyakulcharoen, met with the Digital Council for the Economy and Society of Thailand, chaired by M.R. Nongkran Chompoonut, to discuss and exchange policy proposals on the digital economy. The aim was to collaboratively determine the sustainable direction for the country's digital economic development.

Mr. Pawut Pongwitayaphanu stated that the People's Party's digital economy policy aims to reduce foreign monopolies in services and strengthen Thai entrepreneurs, especially SMEs, through "market mechanisms" and transparent systems. The government will play an enabler role, not a monopolist, and the core principle is to unlock the competitiveness of Thai businesses so they can grow independently.

One of the key proposals is the SME Digital Voucher, which shifts the concept from government-mandated service support to providing coupons or entitlements to entrepreneurs, allowing them to purchase suitable digital services from private companies themselves. This helps increase efficiency, reduce costs, and stimulate the growth of the Thai technology industry.

Mr. Isariya Pairipaiyarith presented the concept of a "Government Platform," shifting the government's role from doing everything itself to owning central infrastructure. This opens the system to startups and SMEs for further development, without the government competing with the private sector. The platform encompasses key infrastructure such as digital identity systems (Digital ID) that the private sector can connect to, payment systems, and data management, aiming to create an open, fair, and competitive digital economic ecosystem.

Mr. Pawut stated that this discussion reflected the People's Government team's intention to push forward digital economy policies that focus on opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs, reduce the technological divide, and lay the foundation for the country's digital infrastructure to be ready for long-term growth.