Since the 2014 coup, publicly elected local administration bodies have been weakened. The junta-appointed government made it a point to issue many laws designed to facilitate its bid to centralise power.
One particularly noteworthy example came five years ago when the interior ministry tried to change the size of local government bodies and exert more control over how their budgets should be spent.
And still, despite the country having had a civilian-elected government since 2019, the interior ministry under the helm of Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha rarely passes up an opportunity to do the same.
Its latest pair of bills on the theme both seek the narrow the scope of Local Administrative Organisations (LAO), with one titled the "Enforcement of Local Administration Organisations Code" and the other having a similar agenda. Both bills come from the Department of Local Administration under the interior ministry and the public hearing process will run until March 20.
On Thursday, the National Municipal League of Thailand (NMT) issued a statement decrying the bills.
Its president and Yala City mayor, Phongsak Yingchoncharoen, described the legal changes going against the spirit of the constitution, which he said promotes decentralisation of administrative power, and will effectively transfer power from local administrative offices to central government.
Both bills propose sweeping changes to 5,000 tambon administration organisations (TAOs) to pave the way for these towns and villages to become municipalities. TAOs, locally known as or bor tor, are the smallest local administration level unit, and a bastion of grassroots democracy.
TAO status suits many rural communities, whereas municipality or tessaban classification is mainly saved for larger urban conurbations which also have civilian-elected administrative bodies.
Under the proposed changes, the present three-tier system, town level (nakhon) being the tier bridging the gap between or bor tor and tessaban, would be scrapped in favour of a single municipality classification.
The NMT is standing against the change as it believes a more uniform approach to administration will fail to meet the differing needs of each community.
As of now, there are 5,000 TAOs and 2,000 municipalities countrywide, all of which would be reclassified according to the new "one size fits all" format.
The NMT's major concern is that the bills would see committees chaired by officials directly under the interior ministry write the rules governing these municipalities.
That will only afford central government another avenue to consolidate power. Currently, these matters are decided by a national committee on decentralisation chaired by a multi-party committee with a specific remit to promote decentralisation.
Even more importantly, the government must abandon its old mindset that put the interior ministry at the heart of all domestic decision-making and open a path for public, especially those who win in local polls, representation within the Thai political milieu.
It has been 125 years since King Rama V set Thailand on a course of decentralisation, with ensuing governments all moving in the same direction to pass legislation to empower community level politics where central government takes on the role of regulator only.
It is the same path most democratic nations have chosen, and provides the micro infrastructure necessary for transformative moments and economic reward.