Some Observations on Newly Amended Local Administrative Organization Establishment Law in terms of Regulation under the Constitution of Kingdom of Thailand B.E. 2560 (2017)

Abstract

            This academic article aims to study five editions amended Local Administrative Organization Establishment Law B.E. 2562 (2019) for investigating the regulatory power exercise model within Thailand’s government organizations.

            According to the study, the amended Local Administrative Organization law B.E. 2562 had empowered local government to administer the local administrative organizations. For example, the local government had power to suspend any local administrative organization executives from duties, to declare its decision after local executives left office and to solve the time clause issue for regulatory power exercise. Even this procedure aimed to ensure more manageable local administrative organization administration for public benefits, but this empowerment, probably, could cause local administrative organization executives felt afraid of legitimate regulators and result in abuse of power of such regulators.      

           The author argues that the decentralization under the amended local administrative organization law has empowered the local governments according to the centralization principle but failed to follow the decentralization principle as expected. The central government should have effective measures to ensure that the regulatory power exercise protects the public benefits and strengthen the local administrative organization effectively for true centralization which results in democratic nation’s foundation protection.