THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Repetition a ball and chain slowing reform work, says NLA

Repetition a ball and chain slowing reform work, says NLA

Thailand’s reform measures have been slowed down by repetitive work between the junta-appointed reform bodies, said National Legislative Assembly (NLA) first vice president Surachai Liengboonlertchai.

Surachai was responding to a question about why law drafts considered by the NLA were not constructive reform measures despite being the government’s key messages.

He reasoned that it was due to procedures used prior to the NLA considering measures, with relevant bodies, including the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA), discussing at length old reform agendas studied by the now-defunct National Reform Council. 
He said the NRSA must propose reform schemes to bodies such as the NLA, the Cabinet and working groups under deputy prime ministers, but that coordination among the bodies had been problematic. They also have to deal with rather complex work procedures, he added.
He said the answer to the issue could be the new committee the junta set up this week to screen reform items as it could alleviate the deputy prime ministers’ workloads and accelerate reform works. 
Established following an order by the PM in his capacity as the junta leader, the committee is essential in expediting reform workloads before the new charter’s promulgation. National reform plans must be completed within four months of that.
The reform effort consists of 19 officials, including the PM and two ministers, and top figures from the NLA and the NRSA.
Surachai said the NLA would oversee more than 200 law drafts in 2017, consisting of 10 organic laws and 50 related laws, 41 urgent laws as resolved by the Cabinet, and another 100 laws following the junta’s so-called “roadmap” to democracy.
“It is the NLA’s mission next year to pass legislation which are administrative tools for the government,” he said. “According to the roadmap, it is also the last period before the general election will take place.”
With around 200 laws enacted since the junta took power in 2014, the vice president of the junta-appointed assembly said work in this area was still somewhat sluggish. “I would say 20 per cent of the deliberations were still rather slow,” he said.
One of the NLA’s tasks is to pave legal paths so elected government can focus on administration matters rather than “creating a vicious political loop”, he said.
“Charter amendments are one such critical issue,” he said. “Some government in the past did attempt to change the charter. It was one factor that brought the country to [a political crisis]. This triggered us to think of how to prevent that scene from occurring again.”

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