According to legal adviser Wissanu, the goal is to create all procedures open to lessen the risk of corruption.
PUBLISHED: 26 Jul 2024 at 21: 11
According to Wissanu Krea-ngam, the prime minister’s legal adviser, a new bill aimed at facilitating licensing and building requirements for government service is in progress and will be an impressive tool to combat corruption and bone in the public market.
Mr. Wissanu gave a special lecture on the prevention of corruption in the public sector in the era of digital disruption, claiming that the bill is an improved version of the 2015 Licensing Facilitation Act ( LFA ), which only deals with the application and grant procedure.
The Council of State is currently looking into the new bill, which will also include the application process for people utilities like water and electricity. The documents needed for each state service, the fees, and the approval process may be required from state agencies.
Additionally, a one-stop service will be established to make things convenient, and those who do n’t meet the requirements may face disciplinary consequences.
The act is likely to be presented to the House of Representatives earlier in the year, according to Mr. Wissanu.
” If the House passes the bill as it is, people wo n’t need to stop by district offices in most cases”, he said. They are able to request things through an electronic method, which reduces the likelihood of them receiving gifts. And they can complain if their calls take longer than they should be processed.
The initial LFA, according to Mr. Wissanu, was written more than 20 years ago but was unable to be submitted to the House due to various departments ‘ concerns.
” They made some good arguments, such as it added costs and it could n’t prevent bribery. He claimed that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO ), which was established following the 2014 military coup, had put the bill on hold for ten years.
The National Legislative Assembly, the appointed figure established by the NCPO, turned out to be the first to scrutinize the LFA. ” In a standard situation, this type of legislation would not see the light of the day”, Mr Wissanu said.
He claimed that the LFA is intended to improve accountability in the process for obtaining and granting licenses. However, public knowledge of its presence is minimal and it has not lived up to its possible.
The cabinet this week approved a proposed amendment to the anti-graft law, according to Mr. Wissanu, that would improve the protection of witnesses and combat what is known as a” strategic lawsuit against public participation” ( Slapp ), a practice that would intimidate and deceive critics.
The Council of State may look into the article before it is expected to be presented to the House, presumably later this month.
In a speech at the same gathering, Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai stated that fraud needs to be addressed by state leaders and top executives in both the public and private businesses.