Local Bodies Should Run Affairs In Their Areas, Anand Panel Says

[webfact]

Local bodies should run affairs in their areas, Anand panel says

By The Nation

The National Reform Committee proposed yesterday that local administrative bodies take oversight of economic, social, political and security matters in local areas from the central government.

Anand Panyarachun, the former PM who heads the reform panel, said the proposal called for the Interior Ministry to relegate its work in local administration to local groups throughout the country.

He said local administrators should be allowed to have the final say on how to manage natural resources such as land and forest in their areas, in addition running schools and setting some tax rates collected locally.

They should also have power over local police and the local bureaucratic system.

Panel member Pongpayom Wasaputi, a former permanent secretary for Interior, said the panel's proposal would result in certain state agencies being dissolved or to changing roles, such as the Departments of Community Development and Agriculture Promotion.

He also said that if the proposal is implemented, village heads and kamnan would see their work taken over by local administrative organisations.

"They may have to change their roles, such as to become assistants to police," Pongpayom said. "The government may cancel the posts of village heads and kamnan if they are found to be unnecessary.

"The central authorities should stop acting as the know-it-all father who tells villagers what should be done," he said.

Anand said yesterday it was time for Thailand to decentralise power to people in rural areas.

"The committee has no power to order the government or the Parliament to do this within a year or two. We just want society to be aware about the proposal and help push for the government and political parties that will run the country in the future to realise it as soon as possible," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-04-19

[hgma]

amazing

just posted a comment on bangkokpost with effectively the same story as recommendation.

encouraging to read that there are brothers in political arms around.

decentralize.

plenty of young guns around who are ready to sweep the political floor.

hgma

[SomTumTiger]

Its a good idea. Anand is a good egg. I think the government listens to him, so it might happen.

[fatfather]

They should also have power over local police and the local bureaucratic system.

Dangerous, keep the different tasks independent from each other. Executive, judicative and legislative are not to be controlled through one hand, even on the local level.

fatfather

[lovetotravel]

They should also have power over local police and the local bureaucratic system.

Dangerous, keep the different tasks independent from each other. Executive, judicative and legislative are not to be controlled through one hand, even on the local level.

fatfather

Decentralization would for sure weaken the police force nationally...not a bad thing. They would then have to report to the local government instead of thumping their nose at them...like in the case of the jet ski scam in Pattaya. The mayor there could actually do something about it.

[animatic]

He also said that if the proposal is implemented, village heads and kamnan would see their work taken over by local administrative organisations.

"They may have to change their roles, such as to become assistants to police," Pongpayom said. "The government may cancel the posts of village heads and kamnan if they are found to be unnecessary.

Well this would really put a crimp in the up country networks controlling village voting patterns, and remove a simplified lever of control mechanism from the local leige lords hands.

[animatic]

They should also have power over local police and the local bureaucratic system.

Dangerous, keep the different tasks independent from each other. Executive, judicative and legislative are not to be controlled through one hand, even on the local level.

fatfather

Decentralization would for sure weaken the police force nationally...not a bad thing. They would then have to report to the local government instead of thumping their nose at them...like in the case of the jet ski scam in Pattaya. The mayor there could actually do something about it.

It also slows, diminishes or stops the kow tow 'pass it to the top' chain of payments. And makes it stop locally and in smaller increments, and get spent sooner locally.

Edited April 20, 2011 by animatic