Motion without a final vote tabled
PUBLISHED : 23 Jan 2024 at 04:00
Ninety-eight senators filed a motion yesterday for a general debate without a vote on the government’s performance next month.
Senator Seree Suwanpanont said the group will raise seven issues over two days relating to policies the government announced in parliament and compare them to promises made during the election campaign.
He was aware that the government had been in office only four months, “but there are many problems which warrant discussion in parliament”.
Mr Seree said these issues included the digital wallet scheme, which would incur a 500-billion-baht debt for the state, and discrimination in the justice system.
“The upcoming debate is not meant to topple the government or fault it over failures,” he said.
“In fact, the session will galvanise the government into working harder for the people,” the senator said, adding the Senate would launch such scrutiny regardless of who the sitting prime minister is.
Turning to the digital wallet scheme, Mr Seree said the people were entitled to know if the policy would create an excessive financial burden on the country or contain loopholes.
“Personally, I find the reasons underpinning the policy as being detrimental to the country,” he said.
Mr Seree said the Senate did not mount a similar general debate against the previous Prayut Chan-o-cha administration because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Senate also did not come across many problems with the administration, he said.
Senate Speaker Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said the senators who filed the motion wanted two days for the general debate next month.
He explained the Senate secretariat office would consult the cabinet to set the date for the debate. The motion filed yesterday has been taken up for vetting immediately.
The constitution requires that one-third or more senators support a motion for a general debate to demand the government clarify issues relating to national administration. This requires 84 senators. Ninety-eight signed the motion.
The military-appointed Senate of 250 members has a five-year term, ending in May this year.
The motion sponsored by the 98 senators takes aim at the government’s performances in seven areas since it officially declared its policies to parliament on Sept 10 last year.
The senators have accused the government of failing to tackle critical problems facing the country as promised in the policy statement.
The seven areas pertain to bread and butter issues, preserving justice and law enforcement, stemming runaway energy prices, failing to implement education reform under the new Education Act, neglecting to adequately provide safety for tourists, being unclear about the need to implement a proposed charter amendment and its lack of commitment to follow through with a national strategy.
It was noted the 98 senators came from various groups among the Upper House members.