People’s Party loses battle on liberalising liquor industry
House accepts similar proposals from coalition parties, saying opposition’s draft leaves door open for severe problems
The House of Representatives rejected the opposition People’s Party bill to liberalise the liquor industry and instead accepted two similar bills from coalition parties.
The House was voting on Wednesday on three bills proposed by People’s Party MP Taopiphop Limjitrakorn, United Thai Nation Party MP Siriwan Prassachaksattru and Pheu Thai MP Chanin Rungthanakiart.
Debate on the three bills had been completed on September 18.
The bill proposed by the opposition party called for small-scale brewers and communities to be given the right to make and sell booze, and maybe offer competition to giant breweries.
The lawmakers, however, rejected this bill, saying the consequences could be severe if there were no legal controls.
Instead, the House approved the bills developed by Pheu Thai and United Thai Nation Party and agreed to set up a 32-member panel to vet and merge the two into one. The People’s Party has requested representation in the panel, even though its bill was rejected.
Also on the House agenda on Wednesday was a vote to allow a special House panel vetting the local administration bill to withdraw its draft for further changes.
Pheu Thai MP Pattana Sappaso, who chairs the vetting panel, said the panel had made some changes to the principles of the bill, but realised that it would breach the long-held tradition of the Parliament to not change bills’ principles at the vetting stage.
Hence, the House voted to allow the bill to be withdrawn before it is sent for a second reading.
