CDC decides to set up 'Citizens Assembly' to empower locals

The commission also completed the drafting of six charter provisions on power decentralisation and local administrative organisations. 

The Citizens Assembly is part of the charter drafters’ initiative to give ordinary people a chance to exchange ideas in a politics-free environment. As per the provision, the assembly will not just allow the public to examine their local administrative organisations, but also support and cooperate with them in order to achieve common goals. 

The CDC has also drafted a provision under which all local administrative organisations are obliged to encourage and create a system or process that allows people to participate and be updated about the body’s affairs, such as their finances and future projects. 

Under the new provision, the local administrations’ scope of responsibilities will be “wider and more open”, CDC spokesman Kamnoon Sidhisamarn said. For instance, the article states that citizens have the right to take part in local administrative affairs such as shaping the structure of the organisation or changing the boundaries of their organisation. 

Wuttisarn Tanchai, another CDC spokesman, said encouraging citizens to be actively engaged in their local affairs would create an open, flexible and independent administrative organisation. He said these bodies would no longer be required to have a rigid structure such as having “assembly” and “executive” branches, because these structures prevented the local organisations from growing and adapting to meet local demands, such as developing special economic zones. 

Wuttisarn also said that the six articles drafted so far “were designed to solve long-standing problems and improve the effectiveness in implementing the constitution”. 

“The new agenda is to create an ‘open’ diversity of local administrative organisations, as well as set clear provisions on the allocation of budgets,” he said.

In relation to budget allocation, the article states: “The process of power decentralisation should be continuous. The organisation responsible for the success and progress of power decentralisation should be established and the allocation of government tax revenue and other income to local administrative organisations should be done at a proportion that is appropriate to its responsibilities and type. There shall also be a regulatory as well as examination system that monitors the progress of power decentralisation.” 

The CDC has also drafted another provision under which an “appointment committee” will be established. It will be responsible of appointing, transferring or dismissing local administration officials using a merit-based system. This will be done to protect local administration officials from being politically manipulated or influenced. However, it remains to be seen how the CDC designs the acquisition framework for the panel itself. 

A similar appointment committee will also established for the transfer, hiring or dismissal of ministries’ permanent secretaries or heads of public offices of equal ranks. This will also be based on a merit system, the drafting committee claims.