NRSA upbeat about draft reform plans

NRSA chairman Tinnapan Nakata, along with his vice chairman Alongkorn Ponlaboot, said the assembly was still on course, with its 12 committees moving close to wrapping up their assignments before the deadline of December 11.

The committees will have spent a month reviewing all reform proposals – including those by the now-defunct National Reform Council (NRC) – and developing work plans to direct concrete implementations.

These proposals would be implemented either through the National Legislative Assembly’s deliberations and endorsements of legal amendments or enactments, or by the Cabinet’s administrative functions.

Alongkorn said the NRSA’s committees were still working within the given time frame, and they would be able to submit their work plans by the deadline. Later, these plans would be subject to public consultation before the NRSA moved forward, expected to begin in January.

Tinnapan said he had to concede that the NRC’s blueprint was close to perfect. The NRSA was doing little if anything new, except transforming those ideas into implementations. This, he said, would take effect by law enactments and amendments.

“I have spent time meeting ministers to propose several draft laws. If we can accomplish one issue, that’s good. But if we can accomplish more, say, 10, that’s great. But whatever it is, we will try our best,” he said.

Alongkorn said the assembly had been coordinating well with the Cabinet. Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had sent letters to Tinnapan to share the government’s reform-driven ideas.

The NRSA is expected to join the other “Four Rivers” to listen to people once the Constitution Drafting Commission has finished the first draft of the new constitution in January. So far, not many people have shared with the NRSA their views on reforming the countrythrough its newly established communication channels. More communication with people is needed, the NRSA has noted.