Most Thais not confident in PM Paetongtarn’s government: Poll
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Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra's government has tried to boost Thailand’s economy with a series of cash handouts and other stimulus measures.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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BANGKOK – Most Thais are not confident in Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s government as it has failed to revive the nation’s struggling economy over the past six months, according to an opinion poll.
About 63 per cent of respondents said they were either “not quite confident” or “not confident at all” about the government’s ability to solve the country’s problems as there have been no major changes or clear results since it came to power, according to the Feb 24 to 26 survey by the National Institute of Development Administration.
The poll of 1,310 Thais aged 18 and above has a margin of error of 3 per cent, the agency, known as Nida, said in a statement on March 2.
Ms Paetongtarn, a daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, will likely be a prime target of the no-confidence debate late in March amid weak economic data. Her government has tried to boost South-east Asia’s second-largest economy with a series of cash handouts and other stimulus measures.
Still, the gross domestic product (GDP) grew just 2.5 per cent in 2024, less than economists’ estimates and at half the pace of neighbouring Indonesia’s GDP.
About 55 per cent of poll participants said they were either “not very satisfied” or “not satisfied at all” with the coalition government’s showing and the Premier’s performance. The rest of the respondents were happy with the administration and Ms Paetongtarn.
The Premier sought cooperation from all parties to help support the economy as the government alone cannot do the job with a “very limited” budget, she said in her monthly televised programme on March 2.
“Please don’t be upset with the GDP growth,” Ms Paetongtarn said. “Under this government and cooperation from private sector, there is a very good chance the economy will see high growth.”
The Bank of Thailand last week trimmed its 2025 GDP forecast to slightly more than 2.5 per cent in 2025, lower than its previous estimate of 2.9 per cent. The government has a growth target of 3 per cent to 3.5 per cent for 2025.
Bloomberg
