The Standing Committees of the House of Representatives and Its Role in Promoting Public Participation from 2001-2021

Abstract

This research article examines the role of the Standing Committees of the House of Representatives in promoting public participation from 2001 to 2021, under the Constitutions of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2540, 2550, 2560. It also examines the factors influencing the success or failure of these committees in developing Thai politics, in order to propose guidelines for improving their role in promoting public participation. The research employs a qualitative approach, collecting data from documents and in-depth interviews with 15 key informants from legislative groups, the media, and civil society. Data was analyzed using content analysis and comparative analysis. Findings are as follows: (1) The role of the Standing Committees of the House of Representatives under the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2540, 2550, 2560, stipulates that the House of Representatives has the power to select members to form Standing Committees, which led to the enactment of the Regulations of the Meetings of the House of Representatives, B.E. 2544, 2551, 2562, respectively, with similar powers and duties. However, the Constitution of the Kingdom of Thailand, B.E. 2560, contains important provisions on the issue of requiring the House of Representatives to disclose meeting minutes, operational reports, fact-finding reports, or study reports of committees to the public. This is an additional provision to allow for greater public participation in the issue of access to public information. (2) Factors affecting the success or failure in the development of Thai politics are as follows: (2.1) Factors affecting success include independence, efficiency in operations, and support from relevant agencies. and public participation (2.2) Factors contributing to failure include political interference, political instability, personnel limitations, lack of continuity in the work process, and lack of public participation. (3) Approaches to developing the role in promoting public participation include creating an online information dissemination system, increasing direct public participation in the legislative process, creating connections between the legislature and the public, providing political education to the public, and reforming laws and legislative processes.