The government has given the Council of State 50 days to finish reviewing the entertainment complex bill before forwarding it to the House for deliberation, insisting the draft law needs no referendum because the policy has already been approved by parliament.
Pakorn Nilprapunt, secretary-general of the council, said on Tuesday that the government has emphasised that the bill be treated as urgent, stressing the 50-day maximum review period, which was agreed on in principle by the cabinet.
Asked whether a referendum on the bill would be held to gauge public opinion, he said that is for the government to decide, and the council has no authority to push for one.
If the government thinks the bill would vastly impact the public, it may consider listening to public opinions, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, meanwhile, shrugged off calls for a referendum. He said that while the government welcomes opinion on this and other policies, any delay to the entertainment complex bill could come at a cost to the economy.
The entertainment complexes are an important element of the government’s economic stimulus, he said.
Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been talking up the potential of entertainment complexes at his campaign appearances across the country. In response to critics of legalised gambling, he has stressed that the casino component of each complex would be 10% or less.
Mr Phumtham made the comments after chairing the weekly cabinet meeting in the absence of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra who is currently attending the World Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Since the entertainment complex is a policy that the government has already declared and won approval for in parliament, there is no need to carry out a referendum, he added.
“The policy has been made public and approved in parliament by representatives of the people. So, what’s the point of seeking public approval on it again?” said Mr Phumtham.
Opposition wants details
Parit Wacharasindhu, a People’s Party spokesman, said it is important for the public to be able to study the details of the bill and watch out for any “evil” hidden elements that may otherwise pass unnoticed.
Even though the opposition party has no problem with legalising underground businesses to bring them under better control, it is still seeking reassurances that the bill won’t do more harm than good, said Mr Parit.
For instance, he said, the public needs clarity on the mechanism for handling the revenue from the casinos in the entertainment complex.
The bill should clearly state how much of the expected revenue should go to central government and whether local administration organisations in the same areas should receive a part of the collected revenue, he said.
More importantly, the public also needs to know how the government plans to deal with possible negative impacts of legalising casinos and ensure the bidding for licences is transparent and fair, he said.
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