Members of ‘independent’ agencies could be deposed by people: Thai Liberal

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

THE THAI LIBERAL today (Mar.1) proposed members of all agencies which are “supposedly independent” of government could ultimately be deposed by the people if found to have performed without practically being so.

Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, head of the Thai Liberal Policy Steering Strategy Campaign, said members of those “supposedly independent” agencies namely the Election Commission, the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Constitutional Court have more often than not made decisions and rulings toward individual politicians, political parties and street activists among others with opposing views in contradictory, ambiguous fashion and even alleged of having acted in dishonest, biassed manners.

Somchai proposed that all members of those “supposedly independent” agencies be ultimately subject to impeachment and removal with a mass petition endorsed by a minimum of 10,000 people for a Senate speaker to take legal procedures to that extent.

For the time being, the people are not legally allowed to push for the impeachment or removal of any members of those “supposedly independent” agencies and may only petition the NACC for that matter, the Thai Liberal executive said.

Somchai also proposed that all members of those agencies be deprived of their current status immediately after the constitution’s organic law pertaining to the “supposedly independent” agencies has been amended in the future so that they be replaced by newly-selected ones.

Somchai, a former election commissioner, advised that an ad hoc committee in charge of picking future members of those agencies consist of a House speaker, an Opposition leader, one government representative and one opposition representative, among others.

Meanwhile, Thai Liberal leader Seripisut Temiyavej suggested that all provincial offices of the Election Commission nationwide be dissolved because, he said, they would practically fail to see to it that an upcoming general election will be held on the basis of transparency and justice.

Seripisut, a former police chief, advised all provincial election commissioners could be replaced with police to do the job.

The Thai Liberal leader said the polling agency had questionably declined to take legal action against the Ruam Thai Sang Chart following January’s event in which thousands of villagers had been recruited from the provinces to Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre to show support for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha who is contesting the nationwide election under the brand-new party’s banners.

Seripisut alleged the polling agency had failed to see to it that all parties be given equal privileges over their respective electoral campaigns since, he said, members of cabinet who concurrently belong to coalition partners had obviously handed out what may have been viewed as relief items procured at the cost of the taxpayer’s money to flood victims and others in the provinces whilst opposition parties could not have done so during a 180-day period running up to the election date tentatively scheduled for May 7.

CAPTIONS:

Top and Front Page:  Thai Liberal Policy Steering Strategy Campaign head Somchai Srisutthiyakorn.

Insert: Thai Liberal leader Seripisut Temiyavej. All photos: Thai Rath

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