FFP head joins budget panel
Thanathorn gets OK despite protests
Future Forward Party (FFP) leader and list-MP Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit was allowed to join the budget bill scrutiny committee as an adviser yesterday, amid protests from key government figures.
The 64-member panel yesterday gave Mr Thanathorn the green light, explaining it was not authorised to make a judgement on his eligibility. The committee had earlier asked House Speaker, Chuan Leekpai, to rule whether Mr Thanathorn could join the panel as an outsider. Mr Thanathorn was named among the FFP’s quota of eight representatives on the budget panel, as a non-MP. That prompted critics to question if he was qualified to join the scrutiny process while he is suspended as an MP.
Sira Jenjaka, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) MP for Bangkok, yesterday called for a House meeting to remove Mr Thanathorn from the committee to avoid possible complications that might arise from his involvement.
In his petition to Deputy Finance Minister Santi Prompat, vice chairman of the committee, Mr Sira reasoned that though suspended from duties, Mr Thanathorn is still an MP, which makes him ineligible for an outsider’s seat on the budget panel. Democrat spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng said yesterday that while Mr Thanathorn did qualify as an outsider as per the regulations, he could not say whether his participation was appropriate.
The FFP leader yesterday shrugged off the criticism, saying his nomination was approved by the House and that he would quit if he was found ineligible.
“The party nominated me as a non-MP member so that I can learn about the budget-making process,” said Mr Thanathorn while insisting he was nominated in an open rather than secretive manner.
Mr Thanathorn’s nomination to the committee was endorsed by a House majority on Oct 19 without any protest, after the budget bill sailed through its first reading. Asked if he was worried his new role would lead the public to think he was no longer a member of parliament, Mr Thanathorn laughed and said his MP’s status would be ruled upon by the Constitutional Court on Nov 20.
At its first meeting yesterday, Finance Minister Uttama Savanayana was appointed head of the panel, and a 30-day working schedule was drawn up.
Under the tentative schedule, the committee will complete its budget scrutiny within 30 working days and submit its report to the House Speaker on Dec 27. The House of Representatives is scheduled to debate the second and third readings of the budget bill on Jan 8-10.
Committee members from the opposition bloc initially opposed the schedule, saying it did not allow time for thorough deliberation. Government representatives said the members could seek extra time for deliberation over weekends.
Members of the committee were also told to adhere to Section 144 of the charter and refrain from making changes to the budget bill in a way that might constitute conflicts of interest.