A military extravagance

As the end of its tenure draws closer, the government seems to have embarked on a buying spree. Its decision this week to procure eight T-50 jet trainers from South Korea at a cost of 8.8 billion baht indicates just where its priorities lie. And this is merely the latest addition to the regime’s growing shopping list for military weapons and hardware.

Despite growing public opposition to, and suspicion of, such deals, the government has failed to justify its lavish defence spending plans by clearly identifying what security threats the country faces.

Instead, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was in defensive mode on Tuesday. He simply asked the public to show greater understanding of the need to replace the nation’s ageing fleet of trainer jets. He also tried to cool down public criticism by pointing out that the budget must cover many high-priority issues.

But his explanation did little to quell the public’s distrust. A decision on public expenditure of this scale requires a justification that is both stronger and more persuasive. In lieu of that, the military regime will find it hard to defend such extravagant outlays, which many see as self-serving.

Just a few months earlier, the government speedily approved the purchase of submarines and tanks from China and four Black Hawks from the United States at a total cost of 20.8 billion baht.

In the three years since the military took power from the elected Yingluck Shinawatra government its buying list of arms and ammunition has grown massively while the defence budget it approves has risen from 192.9 billion baht in 2015 to 222.4 million baht for next year.

Without any imminent security threats at its door, and with the economy still weak, Thailand should exercise prudent fiscal management that maximises the social benefits. More money should be spent on education, public health, social safety nets and job creation.

While other countries are slashing their arms budgets and spending more on education, Thailand has gone the other way. The government cut 1.6% off next year’s budget for the Education Ministry, taking the sum from 519.29 billion baht for fiscal 2017 to 510.96 billion baht. Defence spending is up nearly 21% since the 2014 coup while spending on education has grown just 6.15%.

While many pundits see knowledge as a powerful new weapon of choice, the Thai regime insists on stocking up on military hardware and weapon supplies. In its eyes, economic power will not be driven by knowledge but foot soldiers, submarines and aircraft carriers.

Gen Prayut needs to be reminded that his regime criticised the lavish spending of the government it ousted and even filed lawsuits against politicians including Ms Yingluck over the implementation of the “loss-ridden” rice-pledging scheme.

The regime’s own defence spending decisions, some of which are made in secrecy, are even less justified and more self-serving than those “populist policies” initiated by the politicians it removed from power.

For the public, it is becoming clearer that the Prayut administration is looking to beef up its defence spending before the general elections take place next year. Moreover, it is not exercising the utmost economy when it comes to forking out for all this weaponry.

Unless it can justify such expenditures as being necessary, the government must stop its extravagant spending on military hardware as such a policy does not serve the country well. After the next elections Thailand must become a democratic regime, not a militarised one.

The government has failed to justify its lavish defence spending plans by clearly identifying security threats.