Uproar over Thida's appointment to NEC panel
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Thida Thavornseth, leader of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), and Nitirat Group's co-leader Worajet Pakirat said yesterday that they would turn down their appointment to subcommittees of the National Education Council (NEC) especially
However, Education Minister Suchart Tadathamrongvej insisted on standing by his decision.
“The appointees are well qualified. If you look at the entire list, you will find that members of the subcommittees have different political convictions. Some of them are also seen as being affiliated with the yellow shirts,” he said.
The subcommittee that Thida is supposed to join is tasked with working on policies and planning.
NEC secretary-general Anek Permwongsenee said this panel had no mandate to issue an order. “It can only make recommendations,” he said.
Thida said she had no prior knowledge about being appointed to the subcommittee. “I have just spoken to Suchart and asked why he would do such a thing to me,” Thida said.
She said she did not know about Suchart’s intentions, but this appointment had made her a target of attack from many quarters, namely red, yellow and multi-coloured shirts, the Democrats and some Pheu Thai members.
“I will not take this post,” she said.
Meanwhile, Worajet said he had only just heard about the appointment, and had decided that he would turn it down when told officially.
“I have so many things to do. I don’t have time to work on this subcommittee,” he said.
Although Suchart signed the appointment order on July 18, very few people had heard about it until media reports came out on Thursday, which was when the objections began.
Democrat Party spokesman Chavanond Intarakomalyasut said Thida’s appointment was unacceptable.
“She is against Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code [the lese majeste law] and her ideas have threatened the current administrative system of the country,” he said.
Chavanond and his Democrat Party are worried that Thida’s and other like-minded individuals’ presence in NEC committees would inculcate dangerous ideas in students.
“This constitutes an ambush of the country’s education system,” he said, adding that the Democrats would fight to the end and use parliamentary mechanisms to bloc Thida’s presence in the NEC.
Sompong Jitradab, a Chulalongkorn University lecturer, said the education sector should be free from politics and all figures with extreme ideologies should not be dragged into education work.
“Although NEC subcommittees do not have much of a mandate, the recent appointments reveal politicians’ attempts to dominate the education sector,” Sompong said.
Several NEC subcommittees include people seen as pro red-shirt movement and Pheu Thai Party, including red-shirt lawyer Udomkiat Panmee, former Thai Rak Thai MP Kraisin Totabtiang and Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s elder sister Yaowaret Shinawatra.
