Bangkok: The Social Security Office (SSO) has explained the delay in the "Social Security Board election," attributing it to the ongoing analysis of public hearing data. The office is working towards finalizing the results by the end of March.
According to Thai News Agency, Ms. Niyada Seneemanomai, Deputy Secretary-General and Spokesperson of the SSO, provided an update on the progress of gathering opinions on the draft regulations for the election of new Social Security Board members. The raw data is being collected from three main channels: the government website and service points across the nation. A significant hurdle in summarizing the results is that most questions are open-ended, necessitating detailed analysis. The SSO plans to present the summarized results to the subcommittee on March 9th, followed by a presentation to the main board meeting, which will include the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, on March 24th.
The SSO acknowledges that holding the elections by April, as demanded, is improbable. This is due to the lack of an approved budget for the elections and pending administrative procedures and ballot printing requirements. Expediting the original July timeframe is challenging unless a subsequent meeting of the Social Security Board approves modifications to the process.
Mr. Jaturong Praising, a member of the Social Security Board representing insured persons from the Thai Labor Solidarity Team, suggested a potential resolution to the conflict. He mentioned that the complexity of the new regulations could be addressed if the Minister of Labor used his legal authority to revert to the previous election regulations. This would reduce accusations of diminishing the power of insured persons and address the public's demand for the "1 vote for 7" formula more swiftly than awaiting the slow and uncertain results of a public hearing.