The People's Party (PP) has issued an assessment of the House speaker's performance during his first 90 days in office, raising concerns about delays in legislative work and a growing backlog.
Bhuntin Noumjerm, a PP MP for Bangkok, on Tuesday issued an evaluation of House Speaker Sophon Zarum's performance during his first 90 days in office.
The MP said this opportunity is to reflect the view of the people and MPs who might not be able to voice their opinions directly.
Mr Bhuntin said, despite various parliamentary projects, Mr Sophon is more associated with the developments in Buri Ram province, the Bhumjaithai Party's stronghold.
He also added that Mr Sophon seems to focus more on performing ceremonial duties at the parliament building than on legislative work.
Examples include issuing policies to organise flag-raising ceremonies for civil servants and parliamentary police, or arranging volunteer activities to clean and sweep the parliament complex.
Issues of efficiency can be seen in terms of parliamentary statistics from the first 19 House meetings during which no new bills have yet passed their first reading, said the MP.
Of the 147 bills carried over from the previous House, only 34 have advanced further in the legislative process.
He also said more than 30 motions concerning public grievances remain pending, while numerous reports submitted by state agencies have yet to be considered.
Some reports, dating back to 2024, have not been prioritised for submission to the parliament.
In addition, the House speaker tended to delegate responsibility for chairing sessions to deputy speakers, and meetings were sometimes adjourned at 6pm despite important items still awaiting debate.
Mr Bhuntin then proposed holding additional House meetings on Friday to clear pending motions, bills and reports.
The MP also called for legislation proposed by MPs and civil society groups to be included on the agenda, not only government-sponsored bills.
