Senator Nantana Nantavaropas has denied accusations of bullying pork vendor-turned-senator Daeng Kongma, after pointing out that she lost out to a vendor for a spot on the political development committee.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Sen Nantana clarified her previous comments made during a Monday interview regarding the selection of Senate standing committees. She stressed that the professional backgrounds of senators should be the first priority due to their election process, which differs from that of MPs.
"I have been working on political development for a long time, but I lost out to a pork vendor," said the senator, also a media academic.
Sen Nantana argued that committee members should have relevant experience in politics, human rights and political communication. Despite her extensive experience in political development, she secured a place on the education, science and research and innovation committee instead of the political development panel.
On Monday, minority senators voiced concerns over unfair chair allocations, alleging that bloc voting among senators with stronger affiliations led to biased distribution across the 21 standing committees.
Sen Nantana insisted that she never belittled those from different backgrounds, but they should be placed in committees better suited to their expertise. She reiterated her position that the selection process should prioritise "putting the right person in the right job."
As Sen Nantana spoke to the press, Sen Daeng walked by to sign in for a political development committee meeting. When approached for comment, she simply smiled and entered the meeting room without responding.
Pork vendor-turned-senator Daeng Kongma holds banknotes while discussing the government's digital wallet scheme in parliament last month. She argued that a cash-based 10,000-baht handout would better stimulate the grassroots economy, as many find digital currency too complicated to use. (Screenshot)