Bangkok: Pakornwut urged Wan Nor to take action against certain members of the House Speaker and Deputy Speaker group for abusing their positions for personal gain, revealing that fraud cases involving 20-30 million baht in losses have already been reported. Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House said to send a list of names, insisting that the House must be transparent and scrutinize others, but also itself.
According to Thai News Agency, the House of Representatives meeting was chaired by House Speaker Wan Muhammad Noor Matha. Mr. Pakornwut Udompipatsakul, a party-list MP from the Prachachon Party and Chief Opposition Whip, discussed the matter of appointing individuals within the House of Representatives. He stated that he believed this was not a new problem. In previous meetings, they encountered the problem of individuals infiltrating various committee positions, potentially using them for personal gain. He understood that in this House, across various committees, the problem was addressed by ensuring that when a committee member appoints a member, if there is a problem, they know their responsibilities and can address the issue.
Mr. Pakornwut added that he understands that both the Speaker and Deputy Speaker have numerous duties, requiring the establishment of committees and subcommittees to drive various aspects of the House. He added that he has received complaints that some members of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker’s group are abusing their positions for personal gain, and that there are currently cases of fraud involving damages of at least 20-30 million baht.
He remarked, “I believe that tomorrow (August 7th) we should have a full House Speaker and three Deputy Speakers. Therefore, I would like the Speaker to review the names of all committee members and subcommittees and examine who submitted the names and whether there are any issues regarding their background or the use of their positions for personal gain. Regarding the complaints I have received, I am happy to provide the Speaker with information about the names so that they can be investigated further. I hope that tomorrow, with a Speaker and three Deputy Speakers in place, we will be able to work diligently to drive the House forward, ensuring that those who assume the responsibilities are of high quality and truly honest.”
Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor clarified that he asked for a list of names to be provided to him if he knew anything about the appointment of advisors or committee members to the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, or perhaps in the future, advisors or working groups of the House or committees. He added that he wanted the House to be transparent and to scrutinize other parties. Therefore, he stated that he needed to conduct due diligence. Sometimes, there is the pursuit of personal gain without the knowledge of the appointing party. Therefore, he emphasized that he needed to monitor the situation closely. If other MPs have information about the alleged exploitation of personal gain in the appointment or performance of our House, regardless of the working group, they should inform him internally or directly to those directly involved. He added that he would be happy to investigate and take action to prevent such exploitation in the House.