CDC eyes more channels for public scrutiny

Paiboon Nititawan – chairman of the CDC subcommittee for public participation in fighting corruption and monitoring the government – said yesterday that along with independent agencies, people would be able to file complaints with senators, MPs, the Constitution Court and Courts of Justice. He said that under the proposal each province would have up to 50 representatives empowered to work with independent agencies to probe corruption allegations against officials in their provinces. Petitions would be directly filed at a court without having to go through public prosecutors.

Meanwhile, CDC spokesman Kamnoon Sidhisamarn said members of political parties or local administrative organisations would be barred from being representatives looking into complaints. He said the CDC had also proposed setting up a council to help protect human and consumer rights comprised of 50 people from the private sector. The council would file complaints at a court without going through public prosecutors.

Paiboon also offered another proposal – the establishment of an agency that would evaluate independent agencies, with the public being able to review evaluation results online. In another proposal, state agencies that grant a concession or green-light development projects worth more than Bt1 million would have to disclose the concession details online and explain the reasoning behind the approval being granted.

Another proposal centres on the Election Commission and the National Anti-Corruption Commission being maintained but decreasing the seven-year term of EC members and the nine-year term of NACC members to five years. They would be allowed to serve only one term. 

Paiboon said the CDC would propose dissolving provincial NACC offices, as the public would be given the right to scrutinise officials in their provinces. The central NACC would only investigate large corruption cases and could directly file cases at a court without going through public prosecutors.