The selection of board members of the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) is likely to be derailed after the Senate on Monday pushed through a bill amending the NBTC act, triggering the start of the new board selection process within 15 days after the legislation is enforced.
The shortlist of 14 candidates vying for seven board member positions was announced by the Senate Secretariat's NBTC board selection committee on Jan 21. The seven new board members are expected to be announced by the end of this month.
The names in the shortlist have raised eyebrows among observers since various big names, including former NBTC secretary-general Takorn Tantasith, were left off.
The selection comes as lawmakers are deliberating the bill amending the NBTC act, which also touches upon the board recruitment process.
The Senate yesterday voted 194-3 to approve the amendment bill with 15 abstentions and one member refraining from voting.
The Senate yesterday agreed with most parts of the amendment bill put forward by the lower house.
The Senate's committee vetting the bill earlier made some changes in the provisional chapter's Section 10 drawn up by the House of Representatives by allowing seven NBTC board members who would be chosen under the 2017 NBTC act to serve in the positions for three years.
These changes were not agreed upon in the Senate chamber meeting, which voted 158-12 in favour of the Section 10 version put forth by the lower house. There were 12 abstentions and one no-vote.
The section indicates the new board recruitment process must start within 15 days after the bill is put into effect. This means the ongoing process of the NBTC board selection will be tossed out.
The 14 shortlisted names comprise ACM Manat Wongwat and Orasa Muktier Purdy for broadcasting, Pirongrong Ramasoota and Jintanant Chaya Subhamitr for TV business, Athikom Roeksabutr and Kittisak Sriprasert for telecom, Somphop Purivigraipong and Arnon Tubtiang for engineering, Lt Tanakrit Akeyokaya and Jitnara Nawarat for law, Pakdee Manaves and Arayah Preechametta for economics as well as Torpong Selanon and Pol Lt Gen Kiattipong Khawsam-ang for consumer protection.
The 14 shortlisted candidates cover seven different fields required for the board, with two per field.
Under the bill, the recruitment process will be shortened, with the Senate picking seven out of the qualified candidates for the posts in only one step, versus the current act, in which the 14-name shortlist must be selected first and the seven appointees are eventually chosen by the Senate.
There is no requirement the seven chosen board members must each represent the seven fields in the new act.