Senate meeting heated over Senator heartbreak, sitting on Standing Committee ‘Seranee’ slammed the Agriculture Committee for not presenting a vision, screening and secretiveness, and the selection committee for not doing as reported to the meeting, before ‘Wuttichai’ taunted the Agriculture Committee that it would work well even without ‘Seranee’, before ‘Nantana’ responded that they should not speak in a disrespectful manner.
Reporters reported on the Senate meeting, chaired by Mr. Mongkol Surassajja, President of the Senate, who considered and approved the appointment of senators to be committees in the 21 Senate Standing Committees.
During the submission of the list of senators to serve on various committees, Mr. Thewarit Maneechai, a senator from the media group, raised questions about the allocation of senators to various committees that did not match their qualifications, such as Mr. Seranee Anilbol and Ms. Kalaya Yaiprasan, senators from the agriculture group, whose names were not on the agriculture and cooperatives committee. He also demanded an explanation, including the submission of names to serve on various committees, which were found to be 100 people, to the Senate president and secretary-general instead of sending them to officials as agreed.
Gen. Sawat Tasana, Senator and Chairman of the Selection Committee, explained that the case of Mr. Seranee and Ms. Kalaya is the privilege of the Senators. According to the regulations, each person can serve in no more than 2 committees. Therefore, it is the right of the Senators to consider. As for the case where the number of Senators who are on the committee exceeds the maximum number, negotiations must be held. If it exceeds 11 committees, negotiations must be held to adjust it to 9 committees. The method is according to the regulations: if the number is still exceeded after mediation, draw lots or select among themselves. The action at that time is up to each committee to decide which method to use, whether it is the Agriculture Committee or the Tourism Committee, which were dropped from the selection process, which is in accordance with the agreement and regulations.
Gen Sawat explained about the case of the senators’ intention to join the committee that they can send it to the officer or the Senate president or the Senate secretary for convenience. As for the part that was submitted to the Senate president after the deadline, he admitted that there was no time stamp as evidence, but he assured that the submission was not later than 4:30 p.m. on September 12. Meanwhile, in the Foreign Affairs Committee, the number of senators who signed up exceeded the number, which is a privilege. However, there are many committees that exceed the number, such as the Agriculture Committee and the Tourism Committee, which depends on the interest and willingness of the senators. The selection committee has the duty of 197 senators, and must adhere to the criteria of 9-18 members of the committee.
Meanwhile, Ms. Kalaya Yaiprasan, a member of the farmer group, discussed that she was concerned with the selection process, even though it was in accordance with the regulations. However, her intention in becoming a senator was to raise organic farming to become a viable economy. Will she have the opportunity to work in the committee?
Gen. Sawat explained that after the Senate approves 21 committees, on September 24, they will select various positions and there will be another opportunity after that.
While Mr. Seranee discussed that the selection committee did not follow the documents because they never let the candidates for the agriculture committee state their visions, who is the real deal, who is the fake deal, or who is the undercover cop. There were many people who were not clear and applied for other groups but used their rights to apply for the agriculture committee.
‘Why write that it will be considered based on qualifications? If it is wrong, it is just because we are not in the same group as you. We are a minority. It is up to you who you want or not. I have fulfilled my duties as a senator. Everything is done by voting. How do I win the vote? Are you afraid that if I am in the Agriculture Committee, I will be prominent and famous. The people will live well and eat well. Even though I am not in the Agriculture Committee, I will not suffer. But I would like to exercise my right to say that the chairman of the committee did not do what was written in the document,’ said Mr. Seranee. Gen. Sawat explained and confirmed that the Agriculture Committee did not announce its vision. However, some groups proposed that it be announced. Therefore, it is up to each committee. As for the selection chairman, he has no right to say what to do or not to do.
“Whether Ms. Seranee will get what she wants or not, I cannot guarantee it because it is not just her. Some people intend to do it but cannot do it as they wish. The 200 of us really intend to come to work, but after this, there are still vacant committees. Some people will get only one committee. If they object to the regulations, if they do not follow them, I cannot do what I want either,” Gen. Tasana explained.
Mr. Wuttichai Kalyanamitra, Senator and Secretary of the Selection Committee, explained in part that the Agriculture Committee did not have Mr. Seranee, a member of the Agriculture Committee, who could perform well. This caused Ms. Nantana Nanthawaropas, Senator, and the media group to protest that such words should not be spoken because they devalued fellow Senators. In this regard, if the selection of members of the committee does not match their qualifications and work lines, what benefits will the public receive from the 21 committees? Therefore, he believes that the committees should be considered on a professional basis.
This prompted Mr. Wuttichai to respond, ‘I am not belittling anyone, but look at my previous words before you were afraid that if you don’t have the money, you will be prominent and famous. If today’s Senate doesn’t have Wuttichai, I am willing to consider myself, but what will you use as proof?’
The meeting then discussed the incident in which it was found that senators had lost their positions in many committees. The majority debated for the meeting to proceed with approving the names of all 21 committees because the selection process had ended. This led Gen. Kriangkrai Srirak, the second vice president of the Senate, to continue the meeting.
Source: Thai News Agency