The recurring failure to maintain a quorum during the debate on the Clean Air Bill highlights a fundamental lapse in the primary duty of members of parliament.
The long-awaited legislation, initiated by citizen groups demanding action against the worsening PM2.5 pollution back in 2022, was stalled yet again last week.
The House session, which was debating the bill’s content article by article during its second reading, collapsed due to an insufficient number of members being present, resulting in a lack of quorum.
The following blame game reveals an unusual political situation. The arrangement has deepened the political feud between the former coalition leader, the Pheu Thai Party, and the swing vote, the People’s Party.
The government, led by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul from the Bhumjaithai Party, is operating as a minority coalition, commanding only 146 MPs. It only managed to secure the premiership through an agreement with the main opposition People’s Party, with conditions including demands for Mr Anutin to pave the way for a constitutional rewrite and dissolve parliament in four months.
Consequently, the Bhumjaithai-led minority government finds itself in a difficult position to reliably summon the required quorum to pass legislation.
The recent collapse of the Clean Air Bill deliberation attests to the precarious political situation and how partisan manoeuvring can supersede the public interest.
Pheu Thai has taken a heavy beating following the failure. After all, the party’s Chiang Mai MP Jakraphol Tangsuthitham chairs the bill’s drafting committee. More importantly, the party’s core base in the North is composed of people who have suffered most from the seasonal haze and PM2.5 pollution over the past many years.
Sadly, only a few Pheu Thai MPs were present during the Clean Air Bill debate. News reports indicated that only 27% of its total 140 MPs attended the session — a stark contrast to the 90% attendance from the People’s Party and 80% from the Bhumjaithai Party.
Mr Jakraphol has publicly urged all parties to cease blame-shifting and join forces to ensure the law is enacted, establishing a basic human right, holding polluters responsible, and providing funds to provide medical treatment and compensate those affected.
However, other Pheu Thai figures and supporters have adopted a more belligerent stance. Pheu Thai continues to argue that maintaining the quorum is the government’s duty. It also holds a somewhat simplistic position that if Mr Anutin could command 331 votes to secure the premiership, he should be able to control the same number of MPs when it comes to passing essential legislation.
However, these arguments fail to hold against the gravity of the PM2.5 problem, which is set to return this winter. Air pollution is a non-partisan issue that affects every citizen and must be addressed with urgent and sincere action.
This is no time for politicking. The duty to attend parliamentary sessions and facilitate the legislative process is shared by all MPs, regardless of their political party affiliation or whether they are in the government or the opposition. Any MPs who neglect this duty and fail to defend the public interest have fundamentally failed in their role and deserve to be publicly called to account.