ABOUT Politics
Outspoken PPRP MPs Sira and Pareena chosen to join government anti-corruption task force Nobody’s in a rush for capital governor contest to begin Former Democrat leader receives cross-floor support to lead committee on charter amendment
Graft panel picks may ruffle feathers
Aproxy war is being played out between the government and the opposition in the House standing committee on corruption.
Normally, few notice what goes on inside House committees tasked with performing the legislature’s constitutional role of scrutinising government actions.
The committees have specific tasks and strictly defined responsibilities. Membership is typically offered to MPs who missed out on senior political posts, according to a source with knowledge of parliamentary affairs.
Certain other House panels, adds the source, are a magnet for MPs since they are tasked with disbursing state budget for development purposes.
One House committee to see its profile spike recently is the panel on graft, which had previously fallen off the radar.
Under the current government, a change in public perception has thrust the committee into the limelight — though its prominence may owe less to its actions than to who leads it.
The committee is chaired by the gung ho Sereepisuth Temeeyaves, leader of the Seri Ruam Thai, a junior opposition party. After being appointed head of the panel, Pol Gen Sereepisuth wasted no time in summoning Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to explain why he failed to complete his oath of office.
However, supporters of the prime minister promptly pilloried Pol Gen Sereepisuth for picking a losing fight with Gen Prayut over a fait accompli. The Constitutional Court had ruled that the oath was an affair between the monarchy and the cabinet.
But this week, Pol Gen Sereepisuth surprised observers by taking a soft tone with Gen Prayut despite the premier announcing he was too busy to appear before the panel.
A peeved Pol Gen Sereepisuth had previously mentioned the possibility of taking legal action against the prime minister for dodging the sessions.
However, on Wednesday he thanked the prime minister for writing a formal letter to inform him of his inability to meet with the panel. Pol Gen Sereepisuth said he understood the premier has a duty to run the country.
The amicable facade might not last long, however. The House committee looks set to fly into a political storm with the recent inclusion of two sharp-tongued MPs from the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) — Sira Jenjaka and Pareena Kraikupt.
The two MPs took over vacant seats left by fellow PPRP lawmakers. Observers said the two seats were vacated on purpose so that Mr Sira and Ms Pareena could be shoehorned in to counter Pol Gen Sereepisuth’s hawkish way of operating.
However, both MPs are known for an outspokenness which could provoke, rather than pacify, Pol Gen Sereepisuth. Both are also representatives of the ruling party and seen by critics as proxies for the government sent to undermine the panel’s chairman.
Ms Pareena, however, denied she is bound by a mission to disrupt Pol Gen Sereepisuth. She insisted she is fit for the graft-monitoring job since she has been elected MP for Ratchaburi four times and recently exposed alleged forest encroachment by a businesswoman.
Ms Pareena said her first task as a committee member would be to draw the panel’s attention to the dubious procurement of Chinese-manufactured Tiger-brand motorbikes for police patrols. The purchase of the bikes, which have been criticised as substandard, was approved under Pol Gen Sereepisuth’s tenure as national police chief.
Bangkok race faces delay
Speculation is rife among parties that the Bangkok governor election, which has long been expected to be the first local election to be held early next year, might eventually be among the last to happen.
The government has been keeping things vague when asked about local elections which have been suspended since the 2014 coup, according to political sources.
With a total of 7,754 local administrative organisations nationwide and more than 140,000 seats including executive positions up for grabs, it will be the country’s largestever local political contest.
In a recent media interview, Interior Minister Gen Anupong Paojinda pointed out two factors that will determine when local elections will be held.
One is that the polls will take place when the election regulations being drafted by the Election Commission (EC) are ready to be enforced.
The other is whether local administrative organisations (LAOs) have enough money left from last year’s fiscal budget to organise the polls.
According to Gen Anupong, if local bodies lack funds to finance the elections, the Interior Ministry will disburse this year’s budget, which is still being scrutinised in parliament and is expected to be approved and implemented in February or March next year.
According to political sources, the interior minister’s remark is widely seen as a sign that the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) is observing the political situation to determine whether public sentiment has changed since the general election.
There is a possibility that elections of provincial administrative organisations (PAOs) and tambon administrative organisations (TAOs) will proceed first. These election results would provide a glimpse of political alignment at the local level ahead of the Bangkok governor race.
However, parties do not seem to mind about a possible “delay” of the Bangkok governor contest, according to political sources. This means they have more time to screen potential candidates.
At this point, there is only one candidate, former transport minister Chadchart Sittipunt, who has declared his decision to run as an independent candidate.
According to the sources, the Pheu Thai Party, with 11 House seats in the capital, is expected to stand in the contest. But the leading opposition party is struggling to find someone with the calibre to match Mr Chadchart who has reportedly received the blessing of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra who is believed to command deep respect among the Pheu Thai.
The PPRP is currently vetting potential candidates who include deputy Bangkok governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul and former deputy Bangkok governor Taya Teepsuwan, wife of Education Minister Nataphol Teepsuwan.
Potential candidates from the Democrat Party are anybody’s guess. While many party supporters vouch for party-list MP Korn Chatikavanij, political insiders doubt that the former finance minister will get the green light from the party executives.
Best man for a tricky job?
Former Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has been thrust into the political limelight again after a meeting of party MPs backed him to head a House committee to study constitutional amendment.
The opposition Pheu Thai Party, which
has campaigned hard to rewrite what critics describe as a seriously flawed constitution, has also thrown its support behind Mr Abhisit to chair the committee, saying he is best suited for the role.
The former prime minister and Democrat Party leader has always been a vocal advocate for changing the 2017 charter.
The Democrat Party will find itself competing for the committee chairman post with its coalition partner, the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP), which has benefited the most from the current constitution, according to political observers.
The opposition and the Democrat Party believe that if a PPRP candidate is allowed to head the House committee, they will stand a near-zero chance of pushing through any charter changes.
Sathit Pitutecha, the deputy public health minister and a Democrat MP for Rayong, brushed aside criticism from the PPRP — particularly from Nakhon Sawan MP, Weerakorn Khamprakob — that Mr Abhisit was “hard to control” and uncompromising.
On the contrary, Mr Sathit said, Mr Abhisit is always prepared to compromise if it is for the sake of national interests, but he never agrees to make concessions for those with vested interests.
Constitutional amendment was one of the 12 priorities detailed in the policy statement which the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration declared before parliament.
The Democrat Party insisted on charter change as a precondition for joining the PPRP-led coalition government.
Suthin Khlangsaeng, the opposition chief whip and Pheu Thai MP for Maha Sarakham, has voiced support for Mr Abhisit, saying the former Democrat leader is the most qualified candidate when compared with the PPRP’s proposed nominations.
He said even though the opposition parties have yet to reach a resolution on a panel chief, they seem to agree that Mr Abhisit is a suitable choice given his stance on charter amendment.
However, Mr Abhisit told the Bangkok Post that he has yet to decide whether to join the panel. He argued that if the PPRP is opposed to charter amendments, it would be pointless for him to work on it.
On June 5, Mr Abhisit quit as an MP over his party’s decision to join the coalition government under Gen Prayut.
Previously, Mr Abhisit resigned as leader of the country’s oldest political party following its March 24 election defeat that resulted in the Democrats taking only 53 seats in parliament.