National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai on Wednesday rejected calls from civil groups and non-governmental organisations for assembly members to drop deliberating all remaining draft laws and quit.
Speaking after accepting a petition from the NGO Coordinating Committee on Development (NGO-COD), an umbrella group of NGOs and civil organisations, Mr Pornpetch said several pieces of legislation pending in the NLA are urgent matters that cannot be postponed until a new parliament is in place.
Among them is a bill seeking to criminalise torture and enforced disappearances. Some involve government obligations to the international community such as a draft law on protection of workers in the fishing industry.
Defending the NLA, he said the assembly has been thorough in its reviews of draft laws and had listened to public opinion as part of that process. Several drafts have been shelved because they are of low priority, he added.
Mr Pornpetch said the NLA will suspend law-making duties on March 8, but still has other things to attend to.
The petition calling for the assembly to quit was signed by 168 civil groups and NGOs who demanded the NLA members resign by the end of this week and leave the business of lawmaking to a new parliament.
According to NGO-COD, it is not appropriate for the NLA to carry on since the country is well on the road to a general election on March 24. The group said bills should now be left in the hands of elected lawmakers.
As such, the NLA should disband without delay and save at least 150 million baht in expenses.
The group said the assembly passed dozens of bills in December and January despite the country moving toward the general election and some were passed hurriedly without public input.
These included the controversial Rice Bill which was withdrawn on Tuesday amid strong opposition, it said.
- EDITORIAL: NLA must step aside