The Secretary of the King Prajadhipok Institute supports the Speaker of the House in scrapping old regulations to purge “exchange-based MP assistants,” emphasizing that the core issue is quality, requiring candidates to pass standardized criteria.
On 17 July 2026 GMT+7, Mr. Isara Seriwatthanawut, Secretary-General of the King Prajadhipok Institute, commented on the controversy over MP assistants’ compensation. He stated that the decision by Mr. Sophon Sarum, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to adopt a “pause for review” approach by revoking the old regulations to allow all sectors to collaboratively design new, standardized criteria reflects true institutional leadership in solving long-term problems.
Mr. Isara emphasized that the key lies in “quality of personnel” rather than “quantity.” The new regulations should clearly define qualifications and certification systems to prevent appointments of spouses, relatives, or others based on exchange arrangements without shared standards. The King Prajadhipok Institute is currently developing a “Legislative Leadership Curriculum” to support upgrading the competencies, skills, and ethics of MP assistants to a genuine professional level.
Furthermore, with clear standards and performance evaluations in place, setting appropriate compensation—expected to be above 15,000 baht—would be understandable to society. Having a smaller number of quality personnel who effectively perform is more valuable than having many who do not add value. He concluded that this structural reform will raise the quality of parliamentary staff, which will ultimately benefit the quality of laws and the nation.