Call to stop partisan cabinet members from handing out taxpayers’ money

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

FORMER ELECTION commissioner Sodsri Satayatham yesterday (Oct. 1) suggested the polling agency enforce all current cabinet members to quit as members of a party in order to hand out the taxpayer’s money to people in times of an electoral campaign.

Sodsri advised that all partisan cabinet members be legally prohibited from giving away the taxpayer’s money, albeit known as a government relief fund, to anyone, especially those currently affected by flooding in the provinces, unless they may have already resigned as members of a party to which they may currently belong.

The former election commissioner’s advice was primarily meant to keep any partisan cabinet members from taking undue advantage of others, especially those in the opposition bloc, who are legally prohibited from handing out cash or relief items during a current run-up to the next general election for MPs as long as the regulations of the polling agency are concerned.

Sodsri suggested that the Election Commission come up with a regulation to the extent that all cabinet members be legally obliged to resign as members of a party in order to help flood victims and others currently affected by any natural disasters in their capacity of government officials who have access to the taxpayer’s money for use with their flood relief measures.

Many opposition lawmakers have strongly protested the electoral regulations of the polling agency which currently keep them from practically helping their constituents with cash and relief items during a current 180-day period prior to March 24, the date on which a four-year term of the current House of Representatives is scheduled to end unless the House is dissolved in the meantime.

The Election Commission’s regulations do not prohibit cabinet members, either being partisan or not, from handing out the taxpayer’s money as giveaway cash to flood victims, among other government relief measures.

CAPTIONS:

Top: The Election Commission logo overlaid on an image of some ballot boxes. Photo: Naewna

Front Page: Former election commissioner  Sodsri Satayatham. Photo: Thai Rath

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