Committee set up to study National Strategy after vote is delayed

By KAS CHANWANPEN 
THE NATION

 

 

AFTER THE CABINET presented the highly controversial 20-year National Strategy to the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) yesterday, the assembly rescheduled the date to vote on the strategy and set up a committee to study it.

 

The NLA yesterday gave a 38-member committee 22 days to  the plan legislation and set a vote for July 6.

 

 

The national strategy has become a major target for criticism from experts, activists and politicians, alongside the Constitution and the national reform plans. Critics say that it would have power over an elected government in shaping public policies and directing the country over the next two decades.

 

 

Opponents have argued that the strategy has been written under a coup-installed regime with little public participation and thus violates the democratic principle.

Despite the national strategy being prescribed by the referendum-endorsed Constitution, opposition has been strong. On Thursday, the day originally set for deliberation, a group of pro-democracy activists protested at the Parliament, calling on the NLA to drop the plan. Later in the afternoon, prominent politicians – Pheu Thai Party’s Chaturon Chaisang, Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, and Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva – also said in a symposium they would attempt to revise or nullify the junta-sponsored national strategy after the election. 

 

 

Under law, the chamber has 30 days to decide on the plan after receiving it from the Cabinet. Unlike normal legislation that requires three readings during which the NLA could make changes, the Assembly cannot alter the strategy and can only either approve or drop it.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam and Minister Attached to the PM’s Office Kobsak Pootrakul yesterday led the defence of the national strategy.

 

Wissanu stressed the importance of having a long-term plan as a stage of development. And after 20 years, the country would be ready to choose any course, as a foundation would by then be solidly laid.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30347849

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-16

8 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

the strategy has been written under a coup-installed regime with little public participation and thus violates the democratic principle.

You could argue the same for everything else they have done in 4 years. 

This is beyond ridiculous.

 

A military 'government' that took power in a coup.

A 'legislature' appointed by the aforementioned coup leader

A 20 year 'strategy' to force compliance on future governments.

A "study" by an appointed legislature.

A 22 day period to set and review priorities for a 20 year period.

 

Stop this nonsense now, or face certain heavy conflict in the future.

 

This is the equivalent of giving yourself a swift kick in the 'Nads.

 

Edited June 16, 20188 yr by Samui Bodoh
Lack of coffee

21 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Wissanu stressed the importance of having a long-term plan as a stage of development. And after 20 years, the country would be ready to choose any course, as a foundation would by then be solidly laid.

according to him, the future is static

28 minutes ago, rooster59 said:

Committee set up to study National Strategy

Another day......another committee!

It is the PM who has given birth to this devil monster so guess who will be Chairman?

Anyway the way things go in Thai time it will take 20 years to get around to approving the 20 year National Strategy and by then it wont be worth the paper it's written on.

Looking forward to the day these people have their immunity stripped and are hauled before the courts.

The smooth transition from 1 four year vote to the next four year vote, to either a new government or same government is what provides continuity in national strategy. It is the constant coups, tearing up of constitutions, passing hundreds of laws with barely no scrutiny and little public participation that is causing the lack of continuity. 

They just don't get it. 

26 members already asleep under the tables? or did only 12 turn up.

re-drawing of the constituents boundaries for mp's is another example of engineering the democrat party and the junta in power for years.

 

lets see if it goes something like this:

 

300 seats for Democrat party Bangkok

200 seats for Democrat party South of Thailand

50 seats for the rest of Thailand

 

 

15 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

26 members already asleep under the tables? or did only 12 turn up.

 

I believe that all photos of the NLA need to show members who are both still alive, and awake.

 

 

One has to love the "diversity" of the members. Some still have hair, comb-overs appear de rigueur. All are male, and diversely aged from 65 to 80 years old.

Oh good!

Another committee.

Sad sad Thailand.

'And after 20 years, the country would be ready to choose any course, as a foundation would by then be solidly laid.'

 

Translation: 'After 20 years, the foundation will have been laid for PERMANENT military / faux-elite government. EVERYTHING will have been stitched up in the power-elite's favour.'

 

The Thai people? Who are they? What do they matter? They just vote for whom we tell them (Choice 1: Military-controlled government; Choice 2: Military-controlled government; Choice 3: Military-controlled government)!

Oh please stop the pantomime. No one ever believe the NLA is an independent & accountable institution. They represent the junta not the people and their decision has been “instructed”. 

It's not easy to be positive about these sorts of pronouncements. 

 

You have these old luddite dinosaurs prescribing long-term national policy. It's similar in many countries around the world, but, what makes it doubly bad here is that the there are strong indicators that the top tier of Thai society are generally not at all interested in growing the economic pie. They seem happy instead to focus on how to protect their relative wealth and power leaving the other 90+% to "appreciate what they have" which is nil. 

 

I wish the county luck. It would be a remarkable sight to see a Thailand educated, modern but with the best of its culture retained and a thriving middle income or upper middle income economy. 

Edited June 16, 20188 yr by AntDee