Bill boosts access to public info

A bill on public information should enable the public to gain access to information through new technology, in line with the government’s Thailand 4.0 economic model which emphasises digital development, Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Meechai Ruchupan says.

He was speaking at a seminar on the public information law reform jointly held by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) and the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) at parliament yesterday.

If state agencies are still allowed to reveal information through officially channels only, the 4.0 economic model would leave them behind, Mr Meechai warned.

Other methods beyond the usual boundaries must be sought and new technology taken into account as ways to ensure people receive more information, he said.

The idea of giving the public access to state information started in 1997 with a law enforcing it 10 years later, he said.

The law, Mr Meechai said, was designed to give people access to state information but people still need to submit requests in writing to seek it, which he called the “Thailand 1.0 model”.

Even though the NLA is promulgating a new bill on public information, this legislation does not seem to suit Thailand 4.0 which requires access to information via a multitude of channels, he said.

This is despite the new draft constitution providing more rights for the public to gain access to information and play a role in jointly taking care of the country, Mr Meechai said. He said the process of drawing up laws still lacks public input.

According to Mr Meechai, Section 77 of the new charter stipulates the process of rolling out laws must also heed public opinion and this condition has sparked complaints from NLA members who say it will be more difficult to push through legislation.

“I do not want them to think they will face hardship. Some slowdown would be good. Of more than 200 laws which have been pushed through by the NLA, this means people’s rights have been limited more than 200 times as well,” Mr Meechai said.

NLA vice-president Surachai Liengboonlertchai said the bill on public information is aimed at allowing the public to gain access to information so they can scrutinise state administration and monitor graft. People would be given more power under the bill, he said.

However, the information should be used with care, not to jeopardise the security of the state or be exploited for personal benefit, he said.