Decentralization Policy

Decentralization Policy

Decentralization Policy

The Future Forward Party supports comprehensive decentralization of central government power to local administration. All form of local administrative organizations must be elected by local voters. Public service in each area must be governed primarily by local administrative organizations, while the central government can only regulate these local administrative organizations to an extent permitted by laws. In the event that the central government believes certain actions by the local administrative organizations to be contravening with the laws, the central government cannot directly interfere. Instead, the central government must file a lawsuit to the Administrative Court to deliberate on the legality of said actions.

The Future Forward Party will push for decentralization of government power to local administrative organizations by improving administrative power mechanism toward the abolition of regional administrative authorities, leaving only the central government and local administrative organizations. Local administrative organizations will therefore consist of two levels: the provincial level, and the municipal or tambon (sub-district) level.

During the transitional process to the abolition of regional administrative agencies, the Future Forward Party will amend and improve relevant laws to decrease power of the central government and regional administrative agencies that obstruct the local administrative organizations’ ability to designate their public services, especially the authority to approve public projects. The Future Forward Party will support the establishment of more special local administrative organisations with consideration on the readiness of each area and compatibility with the national policies.

The Future Forward Party will push for the local administrative organizations to collect taxes and revenues in order to utilize them as a budget in improving local public services. Ratio of tax revenues between the central government and local administrative organizations will also be redrawn. Local administrative organizations will have an authority in collecting its own taxes, instead of relying on revenues collected by the central government and eventually distributed back to local administrative organisations. Furthermore, local administrative organizations will have access to sources of revenues other than tax collection, such as service fees as well as revenues brought by local state enterprises.

The Future Forward Party will also encourage local public participation. Locals have the rights to access information of their local administrative organizations, participate in decision-making processes, cast their ballots in local referendums, and scrutinize the working of their local administrative organizations.