Published on October 18, 2005

An amendment to the Statistics Act has been endorsed by the government whip despite concerns that it impinges on fundamental freedoms.

The proposed legislation appeared designed to restrict opinion polls, a prominent senator said. But supporters claim the new law aimed only to maintain standards.

Chief government whip Pongthep Thepkanchana said the bill was regulatory – “governing polls carried out by various government bodies, so as to maintain standards and liability”. A unique feature of the bill is that it requires government agencies to explain the intention behind any poll they plan to carry out – to the National Statistical Office (NSO) five days in advance.

This has many repercussions for government bodies, which include public universities like Thammasat, Chulalongkorn and the Rajabhat Suan Dusit Institute, which have conducted public opinion polls regularly.

Maha Sarakham Senator Thongbai Thongpao was critical. “The nature of the bill suggests that rather than regulating poll taking, it is an effort to regulate and control people,” he said yesterday.

“If the government is going to propose something that will affect the public, it is only natural that the people be asked. Such hindrances to this basic fact, like the five day waiting period, are simply tyrannical.”

Pongthep explained that “the purpose of the five-day waiting period was to give the NSO ample time to verify that a poll has not been conducted recently, so as to avoid repetition. However, if this should prove troublesome to the affected government bodies, it could always be amended when the bill is put before Parliament.”

Part of the controversy surrounding the Statistics Act amendment derives from article 10, which specifies that the NSO will become the sole conductor for census taking, which some misunderstood as poll taking.

The advent of the law coincides with an all-time-low public approval rating for the ruling government.

Pongthep stressed that the timing was simply due to the slow nature of the process by which all bills are passed by the government whip.

The Statistics Act amendment is in line to be reviewed by Parliament, but, with numerous bills also waiting Parliament’s approval, it is uncertain when that might be.

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