Many NRC panels push for new agencies to tackle problems
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After three full days of National Reform Council (NRC) meetings to thrash out ideas for the new constitution, many panels pushed for new organisations to strengthen their structures and eliminate social problems.
One proposal was for a national evaluation committee to examine and appraise candidates or incumbents for high positions in government organisations and state enterprises.
Others were for an independent organisation to analyse the government budget or for a parliament budget office to strengthen the evaluation of political parties’ campaigns.
However, Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, spokesman for the Constitution Drafting Committee, said the CDC had acknowledged all the proposals and was now reviewing them.
“Setting up new organisations must also concern Article 35 of the provisional constitution, which states that the CDC has the authority to vet proposals to set up new organisations.
“Now we are in the process of scrutinising all the previous organisations and independent bodies, including proposals for new organisations,” he said.
While more committees and organisations might overload the system of checks and balances, the CDC has to look through every article and the proposals as a whole to see if they would merit inclusion in the new constitution, he said.
Kamnoon, who is also an NRC member, said the framers would also consider whether these organisations were worth taking important roles in society, in addition to how much and to what extent the CDC would have to evaluate these suggestions thoroughly.
The anti-corruption panel has proposed setting up an organisation similar to the Thai Health Promotion Foundation to promote campaigns to prevent corruption in society.
The panel on media and mass communication reform suggested setting up a national professional organisation that would require every media outlet to participate to promote the profession’s integrity, plus setting up a people’s committee to scrutinise the media’s work.
The arts and cultural, integrity and religion reform panel floated the idea of an assembly to create art and cultural balance and also to recover, preserve and disseminate culture areas.
The panel on natural resources and environmental reform proposed establishing an independent organisation to monitor and protect the national environment similar to the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The education and people development reform panel had a high tendency to set up a committee to regulate educational policies.
