Bangkok: Ms. Nantana Nantvaropas, a member of the New Generation Senator Group, has initiated a process to gather signatures from senators aimed at submitting a petition to the Constitutional Court. The petition seeks to suspend the duties of 200 senators concerning the approval process of independent organizations. This move follows an investigation into possible collusion within the Senate.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Nantana is drafting the petition, which is expected to be submitted to Mr. Mongkol Surachat, President of the Senate, by May 19. The petition requests that the senators halt their duties related to approving positions within independent organizations, such as setting up special committees for investigative purposes and voting. Nantana's initiative aims to ensure equality and prevent inconsistencies within the Senate's operations.
The motivation behind this request stems from ongoing investigations by the Department of Special Investigation and the Election Commission into numerous senators. Ms. Nantana believes that more than half of the senators may face charges, casting doubt on the legitimacy of their appointments. She argues that if the origins of these senators remain unclear, their involvement in approving independent organizations could lead to conflicts of interest and undermine the integrity of investigations.
Ms. Nantana further emphasized that proceeding with the independent organization approval process under current conditions could affect the validity of the organizations' performance. If senators involved in the approval process are found unqualified, it could invalidate decisions made by these organizations. Therefore, she advocates for a temporary halt in these duties until all investigations are completed, suggesting that resuming the selection of new board members for independent organizations would be more prudent than continuing under suspicion.
The petition process is being expedited to enable the Constitutional Court's consideration before the Senate's extraordinary session on May 29. Ms. Nantana expressed optimism that more senators will support the petition than the required minimum.
When questioned about the potential inclusion of issues concerning the loss of membership due to political party aspirations, Ms. Nantana indicated that no resolution had been reached. She also clarified that the suspension of duties would not impact the consideration of significant bills, such as the annual budget bill, since the Senate's role is limited to voting without the ability to amend the budget. She stressed the importance of not delaying the budget process, given its significance.