Legal Problems and Obstacles of Village and Urban Community Fund Management: a Case study of Moo 9 Kumtanod Sub-District Prachantakham District Prachinburi Province

Abstract

           The study was made on managing Village and Urban Community Fund: a case study of Moo 9 Kumtanod Sub-District, Prachantakham District, Prachinburi Province. The  researcher collected information by participatory design and co-design of the research questions of stakeholders and found that village and urban community fund management of the fund committee did not meet the objectives and the provisions determined by the National Village and Urban Community Fund Act, B.E. 2547 (2004). The cause was that the fund committee brought the contribution amount of the government and deposit amount of members to be lent without considering the ability of debtors in paying debt and divided such amount to members in the form of dividend until there was a problem that the fund amount was spent up and the fund was affected until the fund could not be operated further. It affected to the government budget and the fund directly. Furthermore, the structure of social system regarding money saving in the community did not meet the concept determined by the law. Therefore, there should establish a village fund by the government financial institutes as supporting agencies and local people. For setting up of village fund, it should include management and allocation of benefit in the fund, measures in preventing damages from the deposit amount, and the method to reserve deposit amount at financial institutes which will be supporting agencies in the area of village fund. There should be specified duties of the fund committee; in case a fund committee is dishonest or embezzles properties of the fund. The members shall be determined as a victim directly in prosecution against the fund committee. Member’s right should be determined in participating in managing the village fund. Members shall be entitled to ask about income, expenditure, benefit and dividend. Determination shall be made in the National Village and Urban Community Fund Act, B.E. 2547 (2004) which is the specific law to guarantee the fairness and stability of the fund.