Democrats to challenge Prayut’s Article 44 order

By THE NATION

 

Abhisit

 

ABHISIT WARNS NCPO RISKS LOSING LEGITIMACY AS PARTY APPEALS RULING TO CONSTITUTION COURT

THE DEMOCRAT PARTY will file a petition with the Constitution Court to determine if the latest National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) order to extend deadlines required for political parties to follow under the Political Party Act is unconstitutional under the charter approved in last year’s referendum.

 

Junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha last Friday issued an Article 44 order aimed at extending some deadlines in the Political Party Act, which came into effect in early October. The law was not then implemented because the junta has not lifted its ban on political activities. 

 

Political parties raised concerns over the short period of time for them to follow stipulations in the order and fear that they could lose many of their current members. The order gives party members only one month to decide whether they will stay with their current parties or review their political allegiances. 

 

Those wishing to maintain their party memberships must submit letters to confirm that choice to party leaders and pay membership fees between April 1 and April 30 next year, or they will lose their status.

 

Political party leaders have said it would be too difficult to have members submit letters in time. The order also states that existing parties will have 30 days, from May 1-30, 2018, instead of 90 days as stated in the current law, to update their lists of members with the registrar of political parties.

 

Nipit Intharasombat, the party’s deputy leader, said yesterday the NCPO’s Article 44 order contradicted the charter’s articles on people’s rights because the current party law stipulated that membership of political parties only expires if people do not pay their membership fee within four years. 

 

However, the new NCPO order gives them only 30 days to confirm their status and pay fees or else they will lose their status.

 

In this context, he said, people’s rights were seriously affected by the order, so the Constitution Court would be asked to weigh in on the crucial issue.

 

Meanwhile, Abhisit Vejjajiva, the party’s leader, started a new round of criticism against the NCPO order, saying the military should be more straightforward with the general public if it wanted to delay the general election, and it should cite good reasons in attempting to do so.

 

He said the controversial order requiring the re-registration of members of political parties that existed before the 2014 coup would also put established major parties at a disadvantage compared to new parties.

 

Competition in the election will not be on an equal footing since older parties will have some handicaps – such as restrictions on conducting early activities to win votes, while new parties will have more time to do so.

 

According to the NCPO order, from March 1 anyone can set up a new party and solicit members but older parties have to wait until April to start their activities.

 

On re-registering members of old parties, Abhisit said, major parties such as the Democrat Party, which has about 3 million members, would face a big challenge in meeting the deadline, especially if members are required to re-register in writing and pay fees within 30 days.

 

It was not sensible to argue that there were concerns about public unrest if all political parties were allowed to carry out their activities at an early date, he added.

 

He also said the NCPO’s exercise of its sweeping powers had become increasingly unclear during this transition period to return to a democratic path, which has been expected to lead to a general election in or around November next year.

 

In addition, Abhisit said, the NCPO has suddenly tied the working of political parties to the election law, resulting in less time for parties to prepare themselves for the nationwide poll.

 

Abhisit also cautioned that the NCPO should be more careful in exercising its sweeping powers. He said previous political incidents had shown that those who did not exercise restraint would soon lose their legitimacy.

 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday advised political parties to begin contacting their members via phone or online channels from today to avoid missing the deadline. 

 

Wissanu said from today until the end of March, parties could ask registered members whether they wished to stay on as members. If they did, he said, they would be able to submit a confirmation letter and pay membership dues from April 1 next year. 

 

Any member who failed to submit the letter by the deadline would still be able to register with any party later on, Wissanu said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30334790

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-12-26

The constitutional court arbitrating between the Dems and the military. I am eager to see that!

.....     good luck with that one.

WOW... I'm impressed that the former PM is actually doing something (anything) that could be construed as positive for the kingdom.  After all, it seems he was a complete failure as PM for many reasons*, confirmed by the fact that he's the only male PM in LOS's history to lose to a female.  He's been acting like a spoiled cry baby ever since.  Gotta admit in this one case he has a point though.  LOL, maybe his cherished Oxford master's degree education will actually bear fruit one day... although, if you believe his wikipedia profile, his Oxford peers certainly don't think so.

 

*IMO one big reason was his frequent government-mandated price increases for nearly every commodity during his tenure as PM.  They are truly 'the gift that keeps on giving'.  I believe the worst example was his across-the-board 30% price increase for ALL construction materials.  I'm guessing he was simply paying back his filthy-rich Chinese-Thai corporate sponsors that helped him get elected.  Sadly, since then construction/housing costs have skyrocketed.  Yes, it seems that his frequent commodity price increases way back then are largely the cause of the horrendous spiraling inflation that Thailand continues to suffer from today.

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Abhisit also cautioned that the NCPO should be more careful in exercising its sweeping powers. He said previous political incidents had shown that those who did not exercise restraint would soon lose their legitimacy.

I very rarely say this but...

 

Good on you, Abhisit.

 

Legitimacy, legitimacy, legitimacy; this is where the battle needs to occur.

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Junta chief General Prayut Chan-o-cha last Friday issued an Article 44 order

sorry that is the ace of trumps

3 hours ago, webfact said:

On re-registering members of old parties, Abhisit said, major parties such as the Democrat Party, which has about 3 million members, would face a big challenge in meeting the deadline, especially if members are required to re-register in writing and pay fees within 30 days.

  So the rules of the game are set , then get in the game get the members to volunteer to register more members, then get those to register even more members, If the will is there by the party it can be done, Every one  who has a political affiliation or not knows that the junta will do everything they  can,  to put all sort of hindrance to the development  of  other parties. nothing has changed , stop whinging and get on with it, 

 

 

one of the few things i enjoy while the general is in power is that i rarely see or hear from those clowns. 

4 hours ago, steven100 said:

.....     good luck with that one.

Yes, the former army mouth piece is being undermined by the army.   Who would have thought that would ever happen.  

Has it finally dawned on the Democrats that they were ousted from politics right along with pt. 

Som nam na. 

1 hour ago, irwinfc said:

one of the few things i enjoy while the general is in power is that i rarely see or hear from those clowns. 

The clowns with the guns monopolising the airwaves is better in what way? Is it the uniforms that do it for you? Their tastes in expensive jewellery? Both? It certainly isn't the debates...

So the party that was most helpful in destroying Democracy is now upset about the fact that they might get sidelined forever by the monster they helped create.

 

Talk about naive.

2 hours ago, leeneeds said:

  So the rules of the game are set , then get in the game get the members to volunteer to register more members, then get those to register even more members, If the will is there by the party it can be done, Every one  who has a political affiliation or not knows that the junta will do everything they  can,  to put all sort of hindrance to the development  of  other parties. nothing has changed , stop whinging and get on with it, 

Uhm no, the rules have not been set, the rules FOR NOW have been set.

And when everybody jumps through that hoop, Prayut will order 44 a new hoop, followed by another one, and another one.

And that keeps on going until he is the only person that can be elected, and even then he might lose.

He was warned and warned. 

He didn't listen. 

All this has come full circle to bite him right in the asbestos is a terrible building material. 

This guy can say what he likes Nothing will change If he is not careful he will re-educated 

3 hours ago, baboon said:

The clowns with the guns monopolising the airwaves is better in what way? Is it the uniforms that do it for you? Their tastes in expensive jewellery? Both? It certainly isn't the debates...

it's the bickering and politicking that i find annoying. some peace and quiet is enjoyable sometimes. don't get me started with expensive jewelry, corruption etc. the dem's pot is as black as every kettle out there.

 

Civilian politicians now see that it is them against the military, because the military feels/has "arranged" for itself, no restraint.

 

Which was not the situation in the Summer of 2016.

 

They now find themselves all in the same boat.

 

Don't expect a "civil" solution to this.

 

No military surrenders to civilians unless the civilians employ the sort of "arguments" that the military respect: "Ultima ratio regum".

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 20178 yr by Enoon