NRC members to stop hiring their relatives
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THIENCHAY KIRANANDANA, president of the National Reform Council, said yesterday that the NRC would heed the National Legislative Assembly's call for NLA members to stop employing relatives as office assistants.
“It’s the same scenario here. It would be difficult to explain why we adopted what may be deemed a deviation from what the NLA adopted,’’ he said.
The NLA whips had made the proper decision and the NRC would follow in their footsteps to avoid accusations of nepotism, he said.
The NRC members are overwhelmed with work, so getting some family members who are qualified to help out with official duties was understandable. However, “it would be unethical if relatives were hired and hardly showed up at work”, he said.
The National Anti-Corruption Commission has received a petition for an investigation of NLA members over this issue, but Thienchay said the graft agency must first check if it has the authority to take it up.
Anyone can file the same complaint with the Ombudsman, he said.
Thienchay also supported the proposition that members of the “five rivers” – referring to the NRC, the NLA, the Constitution Drafting Committee, the Cabinet and the National Council for Peace and Order – should be given a two-year sabbatical before assuming any political posts.
