House panels 'being used as political tools'
The 35 House of Representatives committees have spent up to Bt345 million of the Bt379 million allocated to them so far, yet none have been able to show how this money was spent, a source said yesterday.
Unlike panels under House Speaker Chai Chidchob, committees under Speaker Somsak Kiatsur-anond do not have to submit reports on work or foreign trips. Only the Parliament website shows the type of work each committee does, such as following up on media stories or complaints and holding seminars.
This year, for instance, the Transport and Communication Committee has held 18 seminars, mostly in provinces under the jurisdiction of ruling-party MPs.
Pheu Thai MP for Nakhon Phanom, Paijit Srivarakan, who chairs the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, said most panels spent a lot of money but failed to give details. Most was spent on things as receptions, seminars, trips overseas and foreign negotiation expenses.
According to Democrat party-list MP Boonyod Sukthinthai, all foreign trips need to be approved first by the Speaker, except Somsak never checked if trips were appropriate.
He said House panels put up to Bt100,000 aside for each member to hold seminars, but nobody checked to see if they were actually held.
Wilat Chanpitak, Democrat MP for Bangkok, said he believed the 35 House committees were being used as tools to cover up for politicians in the government camp not doing their jobs. They have not been able to show any concrete results of their work.
The fact that the House panel led by Wirot Pao-in, which was set up to fight corruption, began questioning over sandbags shows that this committee is being used as a political tool, the source said.
This committee summoned Democrat Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra to explain why the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration had left sandbags in the drains. Pheu Thai spokesman Promphong Nopparit, the committee’s deputy chairman, also decided to look into allegations that government politicians were sending money to Hong Kong for laundering purposes.
A House committee on political development chaired by Watchara Petthong has also ordered an inquiry into the “men in black” who are believed to have killed several people during the 2010 riots.
