Politicians are up in arms against a proposal to replace Bangkok district councils with civic committees, saying this would deprive people of representatives who work to safeguard their welfare.
The proposal forms part of the national reform of local administrations stipulated by the constitution.
Bangkok Council chairman Kriangsak Lohachala said the proposal was contained in the recommendation used as a basis for amending the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration Regulations Act.
Voicing his opposition, he insisted district councillors, being directly elected, assume the clear role of protecting the welfare of local residents.
Earlier, Gen Nakhon Sukprasert, of the committee on administrative reform, said the charter requires greater public participation and access in local administration. The people must have more say in making decisions on issues that affect them and their communities, he said.
Some Bangkok district councillors pose as proxies for political parties and have even canvassed for votes on their behalf, he said.
Others stand accused of disrupting the work of district office directors who are subject to monitoring by the governor, Bangkok council and district councillors.
Gen Nakhon said the district councils will be dissolved and replaced by a so-called civic committee in each Bangkok district. The committees will serve as a go-between conveying residents' complaints and suggestions to district offices to improve local administrations.
Civic committee members will be selected via a system similar to that of the Senate. Each committee is made up of 20 members who hold permanent residence in their district. They are chosen from among professionals, volunteers and specialists.
The committees, chaired by their respective district office directors, will have a two-year tenure and members cannot hold office for more than two consecutive terms.
Critics maintain the system will not be immune to political influence as those who are likely to be chosen for committee seats could receive backing from well-known figures, including politicians, in the district.
But members cannot serve the needs of residents as well as district councillors because they do not have as much experience or close ties to local communities, according to Pornchai Theppanya, a Bangkok Council member.
Kitpol Cherdchukitkul, the former Bangkok Council chairman, said not all councillors were closely linked to MPs or politicians.
Many have helped residents who depend on them to get basic infrastructure and repair work done, he said.
