A well-known anti-corruption activist has denounced the junta’s 20-year national strategy planning, saying the selection process of the committee members is not democratic.
On 1 October 2017, Srisuwan Janya, Secretary-General of a political group called the Association to Protect the Thai Constitution (APTC), issued a statement to denounce the appointment of 70 people into the six sub-strategy committees of the junta’s 20-year national strategy planning body.
The appointment was published in the Royal Gazette on 28 September 2017.
According to Srisuwan since the national strategy will be a blueprint for the government which will be enforced upon public agencies nationwide, the selection process of the committee should be transparent and democratic.
He illustrated with the appointment of Chadchart Sittipunt, former Transport Minister who was one of the most popular members of Yingluck Shinawatra’s government, as one of the committee member that the selection process is done crudely.
The former minister declined to take up a seat in the committee, citing busy family and business schedule.
He said the authorities should allow people from different professions to become candidates to the committee and that they should be elected in a fair and transparent manner.
Srisuwan pointed out that according to the current list the committee appears to be dominated by businessmen linked with the junta and public officers, adding that some people were even listed without consent, such as Chadchart.
Srisuwan Janya (file photo)