176 MPs ask House speaker to replace food caterer
A total of 176 MPs from both the ruling coalition and opposition parties have petitioned House Speaker Chuan Leekpai to take action against the caterer who arranges food for parliamentarians on their meeting days.
The lawmakers wanted the catering company to be fired, saying the quality and quantity of food had worsened, with limited choices of Muslim food. In addition, just last week there were small fires in the canteen twice on the same day.
The complaint from the MPs said the fires pointed to a lack of preparedness of the catering company with regard to safety.
The lawmakers also expressed their dissatisfaction with the work of a House committee tasked with selecting the food caterer, whose decision they said affected their right to quality food and beverage services.
“Please take action in keeping with your duty as the House speaker in protecting the basic rights of MPs,” the group said in their complaint to Chuan.
The group also wanted to know the outcome of an investigation into allegations that the selection of the food caterer was mired in lobbying and kickbacks.
None of the MPs from the opposition Move Forward Party were among the 176 MPs who signed the petition.
Watchara Petthong, a politician from the coalition Democrat Party, claimed last year that some unnamed lawmakers from Move Forward had been involved with the alleged lobbying.
In November, Democrat MP Rangsima Rodrasamee had called on Chuan to order an investigation into accusations of bribery levelled against the House panel tasked with selecting the food caterer. As a member of the selection committee, Rangsima maintained that she had never been lobbied and she did not know who had been lobbied. But she agreed that the caterer should be selected based on the quality and taste of food and hygiene.
