Parliament Advisor Counters Prachachat Party Speaker Bias Accusations
Parliament advisor Pol. Lt. Col. Wichai Sangkhaphrai defended House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha against Prachachat Party accusations of bias, calling the criticism politically motivated and legally unfounded. He explained that parliamentary committees operate by majority vote, the Speaker holds no special authority, and the inheritance tax bill's delay followed proper procedure. Separately, 141 MPs filed a constitutional complaint against the NACC regarding former Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob's asset declarations.
Parliament legal advisor Pol. Lt. Col. Wichai Sangkhaphrai led the House legal team in challenging the Prachachat Party, asking whether party leader 'Ice' was deliberately stirring controversy after accusing House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha of not being neutral. He demanded the party specify exactly where the Speaker had failed to be impartial.
At a 2:00 p.m. press conference on November 11 at Parliament, Wichai, advisor to the House Speaker, addressed the Prachachat Party's November 10 statement criticizing the Speaker's performance. He characterized the party's press conference as political maneuvering and affirmed that the Speaker performs his duties based on principles of correctness, neutrality, and adherence to laws and regulations. Wichai said such public criticism diminishes the Speaker's stature.
Regarding allegations concerning the 35 parliamentary committees, Wichai explained these are collective bodies that operate by majority vote, and the committee chair holds no special authority beyond what laws or regulations grant. Therefore, claims that the Speaker obstructed oversight work are untrue.
On the failure to include the citizen-proposed 'inheritance tax' bill (the October 6 law), Wichai said this followed a proposal by Parliament officials, with the Speaker having delegated oversight to the Second Deputy Speaker. Once agreed upon and signed by the Speaker, it was akin to delegating duties to agencies, but the bill's rights have not been revoked. The public can appeal the order, and an appeal was submitted on November 10, which the Speaker must process accordingly.
Wichai also clarified the case involving former Transport Minister Saksayam Chidchob. The Speaker appointed a committee to investigate, but it has not yet submitted its findings. The matter requires caution, thoroughness, and legality because it involves conflicting opinions between two agencies.
"I see two issues with the Prachachat Party leader and members speaking out: either they don't know the laws and regulations, or they know but pretend not to, speaking without substance," Wichai said.
Kittiphat Kamhenidrit, Director of the Parliament Legal Affairs Bureau and spokesperson for the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives, added that 141 MPs have jointly filed a complaint against the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) under Section 236 paragraph one and Section 234 (1) of the 2017 Constitution, alleging malfeasance or intentional violation of the Constitution or law.
The complaint concerns Saksayam's asset and liability declarations to the NACC during his tenure as MP and Transport Minister. The petition asks the Speaker to refer the matter to the Supreme Court to appoint an investigative committee per the Constitution. Upon receiving the petition, a name verification process began, but incomplete data in some names caused delays before reaching the House Speaker.
Kittiphat said once the Speaker verified the names, further steps would follow.
