In a recently unfolded drama that caused uproar on social media, Parliament president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha has demonstrated a deep commitment to resolving the long-standing issue of excessive food wastage within the parliamentary canteen. This development was triggered by a controversial incident regarding a parliament member’s casual approach to their leftover meals.
The entire fiasco was set in motion when a Move Forward MP Sirilapas Kongtrakarn, fondly recognized as ‘Mew’, was subjected to unnecessary social media criticism. A fellow MP, who remained anonymous, sneakily pulled a picture of the ex-actress, innocently taking leftover food from the parliamentary canteen after a tedious day in the house, and posted it on Instagram with a rather judgmental caption.
In retaliation, Sirilapas seized the moment to drive home a critical point about food waste. She reposted the photograph on her personal Twitter account, educating her strong following of over 20,000, about how the food she had taken was destined to be discarded. Her explanation not only led to a flood of public support for her actions, but it also ignited a much-needed national conversation around reducing food waste and the related wastage of taxpayers’ money on unused free meals provided to lawmakers.
President Wan was keen to address the issue head on. He confirmed that preliminary talks surrounding the matter had been held with his deputies, House Secretary Pornpit Petcharoen and other officials. As reported by Bangkok Post, his ultimate objective is to ensure exceptional services to MPs without indulging in over-expenditure and, crucially, without squandering food.
He is already on track with implementing initial measures to rectify the situation. He added that the matter will be given fresh attention in the middle of the month, which might possibly lead to an evaluation of the hefty catering budget. The parliamentary catering services, managed by the House Secretariat and costing around 72 million baht for the financial year 2023, currently provides two meals, a morning snack, and an optional extra meal for extended meetings.
Catering services for House committee meetings have been allocated an additional 34.8 million baht, and a small sum of 1.26 million baht for opposition whip catering services. The total funding earmarked for all catering operations for the fiscal year 2023 is slightly over 108 million baht.
Rangsima Rodrassamee, a experienced politician, has suggested that the House Committee on Parliament Affairs should revise the regulations governing the catering budget, with the aim of stamping out unnecessary expenses and curbing food wastage. She advocates for a system whereby food allowances are credited to MPs’ ID cards, which they can use to purchase food at the parliamentary canteen. Any remaining funds at the end of the day are to be returned. The argument for such a system was echoed last year by Democrat MP for Samut Songkhram, who urged for stricter rules to prevent lawmakers from hoarding excess free food during parliamentary meetings.
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