PHEU THAI SLAMS BID TO SWAP DISTRICT COUNCILS WITH COMMITTEES

>> The Pheu Thai Party has opposed a proposal to scrap Bangkok district councils and replace them with so-called civic committees, arguing the committees would not answer the residents’ needs or tackle the day-to-day problems on the ground.

The proposal forms part of the national reform of local administrations stipulated by the charter.

Speaking at the Pheu Thai head office yesterday, former chairman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council Pradermchai Boonchuaylua said members of the civic committees would be selected rather than elected. He said the committee members are detached from the people.

He said they are less likely to understand the problems and know how to solve them, compared with councillors who are elected and more familiar with the issues affecting the lives of residents, many of whom voted them into office.

Mr Pradermchai also called on the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to organise a new round of public hearings on the matter.

The BMA has conducted the hearing only through its website, which did not appear to cover all people.

The BMA must also disclose the results of the past public hearings, he said, adding if only a few thousand people aired their views, the results should be invalidated.

The hearings should be done across the 50 Bangkok districts so as to effectively gauge people’s opinions.

“Members of the local administrative bodies are all elected. The local representatives are close to the people,” Mr Pradermchai said.

Prapon Netrangsi, ex-deputy chairman of the Bangkok Metropolitan Council, said the civic committees might also end up catering to vested interests.

The proposal, if put into practice, would do nothing more than centralising the power of local administration which has been distributed to district directors, the city clerk and the Bangkok governor, Mr Prapon said.

He insisted the principle of the charter favours the decentralisation of power.

He said questions must be raised as to whether the proposed switch to civic committees is mandated by the majority of residents and can be of benefit to the general public.

“I want to call on the BMA and the National Legislative Assembly to review the amendment to the law [governing the district councils] and proceed with the public hearings that are constitutionally compliant,” Mr Prapon said.