Three local administrator associations yesterday voiced their opposition to a draft law on local administrative organisations (LAOs), saying it was not in line with the decentralisation of administrative power principle enshrined in the charter.
In a petition lodged with the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the three associations zeroed in on a bill known as the Local Administrative Organisation Code, which is a collection of various laws governing local administration bodies.
The three groups in question were the Provincial Administration Organisation Association of Thailand, the National Municipal League of Thailand, and the Sub-district Administration Organisation Association of Thailand.
The draft was written by the Interior Ministry.
They argued that the proposed draft did not reflect the 2017 constitution which calls for decentralisation of administrative power and independence of local administrative bodies.
According to the three groups, the legislation draft also lacked input from representatives from local administrators.
They said they objected to the entire bill and wanted the NLA to withhold it.
The Interior Ministry has already sent the draft for examination by the Council of State, the government's legal adviser. The draft is now pending cabinet consideration.
If endorsed by the cabinet, the proposed amendments will be forwarded to the NLA for consideration.
The NLA's scrutiny process is expected to take about three months before the bills are submitted for royal endorsement.
NLA vice president Peerasak Porjit said yesterday that the assembly would invite representatives from LAOs to take part in the deliberation of the draft bills to ensure the law-making process is inclusive.
However, he said the draft law targeted by the three associations would be studied by the NLA's committee on local administration first.
The proposed changes include changes to the qualification process of candidates in local polls.
The new draft, if it becomes law, will be applied to the election of executives of local agencies such as the provincial administrative organisations, tambon administrative organisations, and thessaban municipalities.
