This week's censure debate without a vote is set to be the last parliamentary event as the House of Representatives' tenure is due to end in a matter of weeks.
The debate, accorded under Section 152 of the charter, saw an exchange of words between the government and the opposition bloc.
Like previous debates, the government was complacent in its handling of the opposition's allegations.
Winning applause for the two-day debate that began Wednesday was the Move Forward Party (MFP), an incarnation of the since-dissolved Future Forward Party.
The House's last day is due to be March 23. But speculation is rife that PM Prayut Chan-o-cha may decide to dissolve it sooner to gain an advantage over his rivals. If that is the case, this Lower House would still have lasted longer than previous editions.
But longevity has little to do with achievement, as intended by veteran politician Chuan Leekpai who said in his acceptance speech as House Speaker in May 2019 that he hoped the House would perform with a view to gaining more public trust.
To begin with, this House has more minnow parties than at any other time in history, due to the peculiar calculation method adopted by the Election Commission (EC).
Given the size of their ranks, these small parties have made ill-gotten gains in controversial deals with the struggling government.
In fact, this House has been riddled with scandals involving greedy politicians who have given rise to new terms such as "bananas" -- which refers to cash rewards exchanged for either voting or not voting via tough bargaining -- and "cobras", or renegade politicians whose loyalty hinges on whatever cash or positions they are offered.
Some politicians -- like Paiboon Nititawan, who dissolved his own party -- have sought refuge in the ruling Palang Pracharath (PPRP) in a rather dubious way. Several saw his move as unconstitutional.
The past few months have seen a series of House meetings collapse due to a lack of quorum.
Some of the absentee politicians claimed that, as the election is fast approaching, they had to return to their home provinces to take care of their political strongholds. This is clearly a dereliction of duty.
Some parties have put themselves before the public interest.
As a result, a number of key bills have been shut down or delayed, such as one on controlling cannabis and hemp, and another aimed at liberalising the beer industry.
When political conflicts were intensifying in 2020, with a series of street protests by pro-democracy students ending in violence, the House came up with the idea of a reconciliation panel.
However, this is nowhere to be seen nowadays.
Meanwhile, the state has been using heavy-handed methods to suppress political dissent.
Politicians who have a strong political base can be reckless and arrogant. It's important that voters teach them a lesson, and not allow them to get away with such bad behaviour or empty promises; otherwise, the nation's politics will revert to square one.
After all, it is bad politicians who give the military excuses to intervene in politics, such as was the case in 2014.
What appeared to be a solution, as in the case of the 2013-2014 shutdown following parliamentary chaos, became a problem in itself.
