Bangkok: "Thawee" urges the establishment of a parliamentary committee to overhaul the government, combat corruption, and prevent collusion among senators.
According to Thai News Agency, Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong proposed the establishment of a special committee to overhaul the civil service system, decentralize power, and utilize AI in government work. He also presented figures for 2027 revealing a 1.4 trillion baht monopoly on recurring budgets, highlighting the dangers of centralized government and the failure of integrated budgeting. He declared he would not tolerate cheating in local government exams and collusion in Senate elections.
During yesterday's House of Representatives meeting, the agenda included acknowledging the report on the development of the civil service system for 2024 and 2025. Pol. Col. Tawee Sodsong, a party-list MP from the Prachachart Party, participated in the debate and proposed that the House establish a special committee to study and review the reform, dissolution, merger, transformation, decentralization, and application of AI technology in government agencies and special mechanisms to enhance the country's efficiency and competitiveness.
Pol. Col. Tawee stated that the primary function of the Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC) under Section 77/10 is to advise the Cabinet on matters concerning structure, budget systems, personnel systems, and ethical standards. However, after reading the OCSC Secretary's report, he felt that the OCSC's work should be more challenging than it currently is. He also expressed confidence that the Speaker of the House would be open-minded enough to allow the establishment of this committee, as several other political parties, such as the People's Party and the Bhumjaithai Party, have proposed similar ideas.
Revealing figures for 2027, Pol. Col. Tawee cited the Budget Bureau's 2025 budget expenditure report and compared it to the 2027 trend, highlighting the budget crisis for government personnel. He stated that currently, there are 3,286 government agencies receiving budget allocations, and the government bears a burden of 1,435,000 million baht (1.43 trillion baht) for government officials. This includes 3 million civil servants who are still employed and 2.4 million who have retired. This portion is embedded in the central budget. When combined with the approximately 300 billion baht in multi-year commitments extending to 2027, the total will skyrocket to 1.7 trillion baht.
A Member of Parliament from the Prachachart Party, citing the "integrated budget" that has been in use for over 10 years, described it as a failed disaster. He cited examples of budgets for addressing inequality and household debt, stating that the more money allocated, the worse the problems became. This is attributed to a "centralized state" approach that views citizens as insignificant and believes the central government is the smartest, instead of prioritizing the people or communities as the central focus.
It was also noted that the current national budget is becoming a battleground for civil servants and capital groups, especially multi-year commitments where only 3-4 large companies have secured projects worth over 400 billion baht each. This raises questions about what benefits the public will receive from this. Therefore, Parliament must have the courage to establish a committee to study this matter.
Pol. Col. Tawee emphasized the most important quality of "government personnel," stressing that honesty and integrity are paramount. He also expressed concern over reports of corruption at the local level and at the national structural level. "Today, local administrative organizations, which are closest to the people, are facing news of exam corruption. I consider this extremely serious and unacceptable. More importantly, there is corruption even in high-ranking positions, such as the collusion case involving senators. I will use these issues as a basis to establish a committee to discuss and resolve these problems, because if we don't, the country cannot move forward," Pol. Col. Tawee concluded.