PM seeks speedier time frame for charter drafting!!

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has suggested trimming

 down a planned six-month time frame to draft a new

constitution and amending the interim charter to speed up

 the process towards democracy.

Efficient time management is crucial to his government's

efforts to stay on track toward a general election which was

pushed back from next year to probably mid-2017 after

the now-defunct National Reform Council voted down

 the charter draft prepared by the deputy NRC chairman

 Borwornsak Uwanno-led committee.

The premier gave his two suggestions as "homework"

 for the National Legislative Assembly andlegal experts

 to consider whether it is possible to shorten the "6-4-6-4

 road map", NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholachai

 said Tuesday after the lawmakers' meeting with the cabinet

 and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

 

The roadmap time frame, earlier given by Deputy Prime

Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, is the number of months

Thailand needs to work toward elections.

After six months of charter drafting, four months are needed

to prepare a public referendum, another six months to draft

 the new constitution's organic laws and the last four months

 for election preparations.

Gen Prayut, also the NCPO chief, wants to see a new

 21-member Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) formed,

 which will replace the Borwornsak panel, to finish their

 job before six months passes and asked legal experts to

 consider changing the interim charter by finding ways to

 cope with a scenario where the new charter fails to gain

 public favour in a referendum.

He just does not want to see things go back to square one

 and start over with "indefinite" versions of draft charters

and referendums, Mr Pornpetch quoted Gen Prayut as saying.

 

 The premier suggested the new CDC, to be appointed by the

 NCPO, should consider cutting some of the charter content.

 

The rejected version, prepared by the Borwornsak panel,

 has up to 285 sections.

 As for the interim charter, Mr Pornpetch quoted the premier

 as saying legal experts have been told to brace for the possible

 scenario of it being rejected, but it is not necessary to amend

it at this stage.

"No need to do it now as that may look like an amendment

to serve somebody," Mr Pornpetch said, in in reference to

 Gen Prayut's remarks.

The prime minister stressed the move to amend the interim

 charter must be flexible, depending on certain situations.

In short, "the NCPO is telling society it doesn't want to prolong

 its power by starting the drafting process over repeatedly",

 Mr Pornpetch said.

 

In Mr Pornpetch's view, Gen Prayut wants to avoid that criticism.

 

 However, this does not mean the prime minister is signalling

a rush toward democracy. What Gen Prayut wants to see is

not "democracy" which "seems to be a cliche to some

 people's ears".

 

 The NCPO chief wants "secure democracy", Mr Pornpetch said.

 By saying "secure", Gen Prayut means there must not be a

 political impasse due to disagreements over past constitutions,

 Mr Pornpetch explained.

That is why the 21 newcomers who will draft a new version

 of the charter are very important.

A source close to Tuesday's meeting said Gen Prayut asked

Mr Pornpetch to nominate some NLA members for the CDC

and the premier will hand-pick the finalists and announce

their names after coming back from the United Nations meeting

 next Wednesday.

 

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva suggested the Prayut

 government use the 2007 constitution if the new draft charter

 does not pass a referendum.

The 2007 edition already plugged loopholes in the 1997

edition and should be agreed on by all parties, he reasoned.

News,Politics,Bangkok Post, 16September 2015.

 

In my viewpoint, I think that the new appoint committee

to write the new draft charter should select carefully.

 

The points that is the weak point of the rejected draft charter

must drop down or modify to new point that all parties

can accept.

 

I hope we can have a “secure democracy” as the Prime Minister

suggest in time period that everyone satisfy.

 

Sincerely Yours.