EDITORIAL: BANGKOK POST- The right to local polls

It has now been more than five years since the military regime of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha deprived the Thai people of their right to elect their local administrators and councillors. Though a national poll was finally held in March, the “elected” government of Gen Prayut is still keeping the public in the dark when it comes to the return of local elections.

Soon after the 2014 coup, the now-defunct National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) issued an order to halt future local elections. It also replaced elected local representatives whose term ended in 2014 with people it selected. .

A year later, it issued another order to allow all local representatives whose tenure expired in 2015 or later to remain in office. The order also reinstated those whose terms had ended in 2014. The Bangkok governor and Pattaya mayor, however, were appointed by the regime.

Last year, the NCPO said that local polls would take place four months after the general election. When asked about that pledge by the media on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam refused to answer directly, instead saying the overstaying local administrators and councillors were still capable of handling their jobs. In reality, they have become “acting representatives” whose authority has been trimmed by the NCPO.

Earlier, many observers expected local elections would be held later this year, starting with a poll for the Bangkok governor. The general understanding now is that they are unlikely to take place until next year, though nobody knows exactly when. Mr Wissanu said the matter was pending a discussion among coalition parties as the cabinet would have to consider readiness in all areas. This sounds more like an excuse than a credible explanation for the delay.

While democracy is back beating loud at the national level, it is obviously still dead in the local arena.

This state of affairs deals a blow to decentralisation of power, a process kick-started by the 1997 “people’s constitution”. Since 1997, power has been decentralised to local administrative organisations at three levels — the sub-district (or tambon), municipal and provincial. Each was led by an elected administrator, with elected councillors acting as checks and balances. This process enriched democracy on the ground, enabling people to choose their own representatives to handle local public services and other affairs.

However, Thailand’s decentralisation process is far from mature, as central government refuses to hand local organisations sufficient budgets to initiate their own development projects. They also still need greater political autonomy. .

Meanwhile, six laws governing local organisations and local elections came into effect in April this year. Sponsored by the NCPO, the laws are being criticised for undermining decentralisation. For instance, they will cut the number of tambon councillors by half, while reducing the authority of local organisations via directives and orders from central government.

Even though the new laws will leave local democracy weaker, many people still want the government to reinstate their right to local polls. Some politicians are already calling for the speedy return of elections. Currently, nearly 100,000 elected positions are unfilled in local administrative bodies across the country. .

During his time as junta leader, Gen Prayut was criticised for postponing the general election several times. As an elected premier, he has no reason to fear the democratic process. His government should start setting dates for local elections so that more power is returned to the people.