BANGKOK: Most Thais are not confident in Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra’s (pic) government as it has failed to revive the nation’s struggling economy over the past six months, according to an opinion poll.
About 63% 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 24-26 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%, the agency known as Nida said in a statement on Sunday (March 3).
Paetongtarn, a daughter of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, will likely be a prime target of the no-confidence debate late this month 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 grew just 2.5% in 2024, less than economists’ estimates and half the pace of neighbouring Indonesia.
About 55% 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 Paetongtarn.
The premier sought cooperation from all parties to help support the economy as the government alone can’t do the job with a "very limited” budget, she said in her monthly televised program on Sunday.
"Please don’t be upset with the GDP growth,” 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% in 2025, lower than its previous estimate of 2.9%. The government has a growth target of 3% to 3.5% for this year. - Bloomberg
