His line of thought is that if the local elected bodies are in place before the national body, national politicians will not be able to manipulate local politicians during their poll campaign. There are a number of problems facing local elected bodies where reform is necessary. Even with the existence of elected local government executives, provincial governors still hold greater power and command over local government officials. Elected local councillors can pass local laws which are in line with national legislation, and within the bounds of the constitution. The central government oversees national crime suppression units and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), while local bodies supervise local police units.

Source: Bangkok Post April 03, 2017 21:22 UTC