MFP holds key to censure or general debate in House

The Move Forward Party (MFP) holds the key to whether a censure or general debate will take place in the House, according to Jurin Laksanawisit, a list MP from the Democrat Party. He noted that the Democrats lack the necessary votes to sponsor such a motion.

Jurin elaborated that a general debate motion which does not require a vote, under Section 152 of the constitution, needs the backing of a minimum of 50 parliamentary members. Meanwhile, a no-confidence debate under Section 151 requires the support of at least 100 MPs. According to Jurin, the Democrat Party, with only 25 MPs, cannot progress with either without the MFP’s support, reported Bangkok Post.

The government faced criticism from Jurin for their perceived lack of prioritisation following complaints that several Cabinet ministers failed to attend the House to answer parliamentary questions. He underscored the importance of the House as a platform for expressing public grievances and scrutinising the government’s actions. However, Jurin described the government’s deliberation on its bills as slow, leading to the proposed alternative versions of these bills by opposition parties being delayed.

“Those bills are stuck in Government House until the government is ready to propose their versions. The delays mean people miss out. I suggest the government spend more time on legislative matters instead of making field trips.”

Jurin’s comments come amid public criticism that the opposition has not been sufficiently challenging towards the government.

Pita Limjaroenrat, a list-MP from the MFP, defended the party’s role in scrutinising the government on Saturday. He emphasised the party’s commitment to quality over quantity and stated that the party aims to ensure that a censure debate or general debate serves the public’s best interest before deciding to seek one.

Chaithawat Tulathon, the leader of both the MFP and the opposition bloc, stated that key opposition figures would convene this week to decide the timing for tabling the motion. He strongly asserted that the opposition parties were gathering information and were not capitulating to the government.