A new code of conduct for MPs

Two weeks ago, the parliamentary session was forced to end to a lack of quorum, and last week the opposition created quite a furore while demanding a quorum count.

The government nearly lost the political game to the opposition last week when two important issues were up for parliamentary consideration - the Asean-related drafts and the government's budget for the current fiscal year.

The government whip said that though coalition parties appeared to be getting along better, relations between opposing sides was anything but smooth. Words were twisted so many times that the whip decided to come up with a code to make things clearer for the opposition.

The code of conduct issued by Government Chief Whip Chinnaworn Boonyakiat states that MPs should:

- Exercise their rights as MPs correctly;

- The should not keep changing directions in a debate;

- Handle all situations with patience;

- Have an all round understanding of the argument;

- Report results of the parliamentary meeting to their party's executive committee;

- Prevent situations from getting worse;

- Attend parliamentary meetings to avoid a lack of quorum;

- Have each government whip oversee a "zone" within the parliament;

- Prepare MPs who understand meeting regulations to block tricks;

-Counter the opposition in a mature and unemotional manner; showcase their side's strong points; and remind the opposition that there is not much point in bringing up old issues.

- Each contestant must be matched equally in a conflict.

Naris Khamnurak, one of the government whips, said Chinnaworn had asked all MPs to attend House meetings every Wednesday and Thursday so as many laws as possible can be approved. He said the government was no longer afraid of quorum counts.

"If there is a request for a count, we can check for the numbers through the five-to-one system [MPs supervising MPs within their groups]. But we may not know what to do when there are not enough MPs present," he said.

There is no problem with MPs from far-reaching provinces such as the South, because when they come to Bangkok they stay here all week, he said, adding that MPs from nearby provinces like Nonthaburi and Samut Prakarn were of concern because they normally returned home.

"Now we have a slogan that visiting voters on Wednesdays and Thursdays is equal to skipping a House session," he explained.