Abhisit backs limited tenures for kamnans and village heads

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Abhisit backs limited tenures for kamnans and village heads
By The Nation

 

Abhisit

 

BANGKOK: -- Former prime minister and Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva on Tuesday expressed support for the draft bill which would cut the term of office for tambon chiefs, or kamnans, and village heads to five years.

 

He said elections and limited tenures would improve the headmen’s sense of responsibility to their people.

 

Abhisit said that the government must decide how to deal with opposition from headmen who would be directly affected by the bill.

 

He said the government should listen to those opposed to the bill and make its decision based on what is best for the public, regardless of stakeholders’ personal interests.

 

The headmen could put their point of view but should not make it into a big conflict, he said, and instead embrace reform.

 

Abhisit also encouraged more distribution of power by having elected governors to boost public participation at the local level.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30312023

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-04-11

[sweatalot]

Absolutely right.

The headman and kamnans have to learn that they are servants of the public and so the public needs to be able to control them.

 

The motivation for their jobs should be service - not privileges and riches

 

[elgordo38]

18 hours ago, sweatalot said:

Absolutely right.

The headman and kamnans have to learn that they are servants of the public and so the public needs to be able to control them.

 

The motivation for their jobs should be service - not privileges and riches

 

Long on truth short on enforcement. 

[Ijustcashier]

Looks like he is getting that middle age full moon face

[billd766]

yet when he and the Democrats were in power they had the chance to deal with it, but backed away from that chance.

 

As did the PPP and the PTP.

 

Now it is being backed by the Democrats as the fallout wont hit them but I don't remember seeing the TRT or UDD reaction yet.

Edited April 12, 2017 by billd766
Added extra text

[spidermike007]

Wonder how they will enforce this? Shorter terms are probably a good idea for any political position. These guys have too much power, and earn way too much money from their positions. And there is nothing in the way of oversight, or any desire on the part of the administration to investigate corruption. 

[Srikcir]

I agree with term limits for tambon chiefs and village heads but only with consent of the electorate - not by military design.

 

The military government has shown a propensity to rewrite candidate qualifications to its own satisfaction, control approval of candidate funding to the degree that it can substantially influence grassroot elections. Particularly with its control of the future Senate, court judge qualifications and agenda of any elected government. Then there is the opportunity for nepotism that the military is quite familiar with to assure generational succession.

 

So in short, there is now no guarantee that term limits for chiefs and heads will make any meaningful change in the grassroots political landscape.