Independent body suggested for SSO
An independent body should be created to better manage and regulate the Bt300-billion social welfare fund for non-government employees and prevent abuse and corruption by politicians and government officials, noted academic Ammar Siamwalla said yesterday.
Efficient investment to constantly generate more income for the fund was needed to make sure that it would have enough money for retirement pay-outs and pensions in coming years, he said. Ammar, a senior adviser to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said the fund should no longer be managed by the Labour Ministry's Social Security Office (SSO), but by a public organisation set up to ensure full transparency and independent management. Ammar said what upset him was that a welfare fund for retired government workers had been efficiently and independently managed by the Government Pension Fund. "But when the [government-commissioned] SSO manages the fund for employees, it's handled in a different manner," he said.
|
