MPs have cried foul over fellow lawmakers hoarding food as well as faulty facilities at parliament that are causing inconvenience.
Several MPs took to the floor when parliament convened on Thursday to air their grievances over problems with meals and the official premises. Rangsima Rodrassamee, the Democrat Party MP for Samut Songkhram, called on Parliament president Chuan Leekpai to forbid MPs from taking free meal boxes offered to them during parliamentary meetings outside the canteen.
Ms Rangsima said some MPs were seen taking bags full of meal boxes home, leaving nothing but rice and fried eggs for their fellow lawmakers who arrived later at the canteen.
She suggested Mr Chuan issue a strict rule preventing MPs from taking more than one meal box each, claiming such food hoarding was a waste of taxpayers' money. "They also raided the refrigerators and snatched milk and water. For heaven's sake, leave some for other people," Ms Rangsima said.
Mr Chuan said he would appoint Ms Rangsima as his adviser for catering at parliament. Access to the canteen is normally restricted to lawmakers, Mr Chuan said. Also, Ms Rangsima said some of the women's toilets would not stop flushing for almost half an hour, resulting in wasted water. There were no workers to attend to such problems, she added.
Mukda Pongsombat, the Pheu Thai Party MP for Khon Kaen, complained after finding herself locked inside a toilet cubicle. A cleaning lady with a screwdriver came to her rescue, she said.
