Bangkok: Senator Alongkot revealed that he has summoned various ministries to investigate the “soft power” budget after discovering that the budget was overspread. He urged the government to cancel the plan, stating that the results cannot be truly assessed.

According to Thai News Agency, Senator Alongkot Worakit, chairman of the Senate Budget Management Monitoring Committee, addressed the budget monitoring and inspection of the soft power project, stating that the committee will summon agencies to provide clarification until October 30th, every Monday. He added that the committee should not assume that only the Ministry of Tourism and Sports is involved. The Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are also involved, as budgets are distributed to nearly 12 ministries within the soft power project.

“Soft power, like Lisa eating grilled meatballs and posting about it, or selling grilled meatballs, is soft power. All of this is happening right now, you know, because it’s an event. And the agency that created the project doesn’t address the soft power issue,” said Mr. Alongkot.

Mr. Alongkot stated that while the procurement process was sound, the concept was flawed. He stated that he would consider whether the hundreds of millions spent on these events were truly effective. He cited an example of how each agency would evaluate an OTOP event. He also questioned why there was no concrete assessment. These issues are similar to when you purchase items in a department store, where everything must be paid for at the main cashier. Why isn’t this done in such a way that results can be measured objectively Therefore, what figures can be used to show that soft power generates revenue It can be claimed, but it cannot be assessed objectively.

“This government should cancel this project entirely. Even though the 2026 budget has already passed, it’s a waste of money. It’s better to use the budget to build a fence for Cambodia, from Trat all the way to Ubon Ratchathani, and even as far as Buriram. It’s a clear budget for a fence. I personally believe this budget cannot be assessed in concrete terms,” said Mr. Alongkot.

Mr. Alongkot stated that the soft power project’s results are not quantifiable and the concept is misinterpreted. He believes the agency is not at fault, but the previous government’s incentives were wrong. Therefore, the entire budget allocation for this project should be cancelled.