NRC backs most reform proposals
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Spotlight on graft, science, consumer rights as 3-day deliberation kicks off
Members of the junta-appointed National Reform Council (NRC) voiced support for virtually all proposals made by a half dozen or so reform committees yesterday – the first of the three-day deliberation on reform, with the issues of corruption, science and consumer rights getting most attention.
Pramon Sutheewong, who chairs the NRC sub-panel on prevention and suppression of corruption, said the judicial process for people accused of graft should be shortened under stipulations in the new charter.
“When graft and corruption [cases] are delayed, those who commit offences are not afraid. We need a shorter timeframe, to make it quick and report to the public,” Pramon told the NRC yesterday. “Waiting 10 to 15 years for a verdict is too long for those who await a result and those who are innocent.”
Pramon said new ethical standards should also be written for politicians, with other NRC members such as Wanchai Sornsiri warning that the coup would be a waste if reforms cannot be successfully implemented.
“If we can’t achieve reform, the coup would be a waste and pointless,” Wanchai said.
Another NRC members suggested it should be made legal for the state to pursue ill-gotten gains of corrupt officials and politicians even after they are passed on to offenders’ children or grandchildren.
In relation to social reform, which includes gender equality, the NRC committee proposed that there should be at least four women to 10 men at all official levels.
On science and technology, relevant NRC officials proposed that teaching these subjects should be made part of the national agenda.
“If most people learn how to think rationally, it will strengthen democracy,” Sakarin Poomrat, chairman of the NRC committee on science and technology reform, said.
NRC member Thon Thamrongnawasawat, who is a scientist, said the average grade of Thai high-school students was below the passing mark and there was a real need to focus on the 99.99 per cent who are not adept at science.
Thon lamented the focus on rote learning and the lack of easy-to-access science museums.
Call for consumer rights body
The Consumer Rights Reform Committee, meanwhile, proposed that an independent consumer rights body be set up within a year once a new government is installed.
The suggestion, made by Saree Ongsomwang, was slightly tweaked by NRC chief Bowornsak Uwanno, who told the committee not to wait until the next elected government but to submit the proposal now to the Prayut Chan-o-cha administration and get the National Legislative Assembly endorse it.
Bowornsak argued that there was a whole year left for the NRC and the government, which gives them enough time to complete the task.
Saree, who chairs the NRC committee on consumer rights, also reflected on the bigger picture. “We’re drafting a new constitution amid conflicts, so the challenge is to truly reduce these conflicts,” Saree said.
On sports reform, committee chairman General Yuthasak Sasiprapha said reform was necessary to give all Thais access to sports and sports-related services. Yuthasak said 76 per cent of people treated in Thailand do little or no physical exercise.
“Those who don’t exercise have a three times higher risk of falling ill,” he said.
