Time for a CONSUMER PROTECTION agency with real power
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More than 15 years after the idea of a powerful independent organisation to protect consumer rights was first introduced in the now-defunct constitution of 1997, such a body has yet to materialise.
An organisation of this kind is now more necessary than ever before, since the number of consumer complaints is increasing.
The constitution of 2007, drafted after the coup, states in Article 61: “There shall be an organisation for the protection of consumers, to be established as an entity independent from state agencies and consisting of representatives of consumers.” It says the body shall assist state agencies to make and enforce laws, determine measures for consumer protection, and examine as well as report the performance or omission of acts protecting consumers.
A bill drafted by civic groups for the establishment of an independent consumer-protection body earned the approval of a joint parliamentary vetting committee in January. But it failed to be tabled for parliamentary deliberation during the session that ended in mid-April.
The bill calls for the establishment of the necessary independent body to protect consumers’ rights in different areas, such as finance and banking, public services, housing, health services, general products and services, telecommunications, and food, medicine and health products.
There is already a Consumer Protection Board in existence, but the new independent body is expected to help reduce that state agency’s workload, and would wield greater power. Suthisak Phataramanawong, deputy secretary-general of the board, has noted many recent cases involving violations of consumer rights, but the agency has insufficient staff to cope. The board’s staff is made up of state officials, which limits its ability to scrutinise other state agencies. An independent organisation free from government control
and consisting of consumers’ representatives would be the obvious remedy to those limitations.
Senator Somchai Sawangkarn has expressed concern that the draft law might be allowed to “wither and die”. He warns that if no agreement can be reached on the structure of the independent agency, Parliament might vote to reject the bill. The senator said ruling politicians disagree with the idea of a large presence of non-government representatives in the mooted organisation. He says they do not like the bill’s provisions that would empower the body to scrutinise businesses and identify products and services found to have violated consumers’ rights.
It remains unclear whether this bill has been, or will be, tabled for parliamentary approval in this session starting next week. Parliament must deliberate higher-priority legislation like the 2014 budget bill and approval for the Finance Ministry to borrow Bt2 trillion for the government’s infrastructure mega-projects.
Nevertheless, an independent organisation to protect consumer rights is also important. Hopefully, lawmakers from both the ruling coalition and the opposition will pass this bill to allow such an organisation to be established.
Some government politicians appear to focus more on protecting the government’s image rather than consumers’ interests. They seem to care little about recent developments that affect all consumers, including themselves, such as traces of pesticide residue found in packaged rice.
Isn’t it obvious to them that people in the government, in Parliament, in big business and in the bureaucracy, as well as their families and loved ones, are all consumers too. It is pure common sense to support any measure that helps protect consumers, including the establishment of an independent organisation that can bite as well as bark.
