NCPO urged not to appoint 'favoured' NRC nominees
Play
CERTAIN PROVINCIAL SELECTION COMMITTEES ACCUSED OF PRACTISING FAVOURITISM
THE NATIONAL Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) was yesterday urged to refrain from appointing National Reform Council (NRC) members who are favoured by certain selection committees because of their personal and family ties or political connections.
National Legislative Assembly (NLA) President Pornphet Vichitcholchai said yesterday that the NCPO was empowered by law not to appoint “problematic” people who were allegedly beneficiaries of favouritism by selection panels in certain provinces.
Pornphet said he did not think the panels should select new candidates for their provinces.
Certain candidates are said to be associates or relatives of some selection committee members, particularly those in the provinces.
The provisional charter requires that the NCPO appoint no more than 250 NRC members from the candidates nominated by 11 selection committees covering 11 reform areas, as well as by 77 provincial selection panels.
Surachai Liengboonlertchai, the NLA’s first deputy president, said the NCPO could help ensure transparency in the selection of NRC members by avoiding the appointment of candidates from problematic areas. He said the NCPO had enough choices from the thousands of applicants.
When asked if a new round of selection should be held in provinces where selection panels have been accused of practising favouritism, Surachai said this would depend on the NCPO.
Pirasak Porjit, another deputy president of the NLA, said he had heard from some former senators that Phatthalung, Phang Nga and Surin were among the “problematic” provinces.
Transparency issues
The selection panels in these provinces have been accused of having transparency problems, as they seemed to have a list of predetermined candidates for the NRC.
Pirasak suggested that complaints be filed with the NCPO for action against cases of favouritism. He also called on the NCPO to disclose the names of all candidates from the 77 provinces to help with the scrutiny.
“The public needs to know about this. It is something that society is interested in,” he said.
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, who is also NCPO chief, yesterday allayed fears that the junta had a predetermined list of candidates for the NRC. He said it would not be wise for the NCPO to do this because in the end, the NRC would be full of people who are not qualified enough to drive the national reform efforts.
Prayut also maintained that the NRC would be free to make reform proposals for implementation.
“I cannot order them,” he added.
