Joint committee on bills will not delay election, Prayut promises

[webfact]

Joint committee on bills will not delay election, Prayut promises

By WASAMON AUDJARINT 
The Nation

 

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha

 

PRIME MINISTER General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday promised that the two last organic bills, on the selection of the Senate and of MPs, would not be rejected at final review to delay the general election.

 

“They have sought ways to seek mutual agreement so they must be settled eventually,” Prayut said. “I insist that they must not be turned down without sound reasons.”

 

His remarks referred to the tri-party law review committee set up following differences among law-making bodies after the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) has passed the law.

 

There is speculation that the NLA committee might dump the drafts to further delay the election.

 

That speculation has angered pro-democracy activists, who have held a series of assemblies to demand that the junta government holds the election this year. The assemblies, each lasting for a few hours, ended in 39 activists, students and journalists, being prosecuted for allegedly breaking the junta’s order, the public assembly bill, and being accused of sedition.

 

Prayut also said he was concerned about student activists and the way teachers educate children nowadays.

 

He said by calling for changes irrespective of the cost to the country, the protesters are overlooking the potential losses to Thailand while a peaceful resolution still exists.

 

The premier said concerned authorities would look into the legal aspects of the rallies and action would be taken according to the law.

 

He insisted that the election must happen eventually but that the public should also have “a thorough understanding” of the laws and the Constitution. 

 

“Several of us want to go to the poll to cast our votes, while others said they won’t and wish the junta to stay in power,” said the PM.

 

“However, I said that neither of these is acceptable. The fact is we must go to the poll and cast our votes, every one of us, and the choices would be yours, even casting a “no” vote,” he said.

 

However, Prayut said he was concerned about a recent poll which indicated that more than 30 per cent of people still did not understand the charter. 

 

“Isn’t this scary?” he said. “The media should help me to raise public knowledge of these laws, not make people feel that they are not out of reach.” 

 

Jate Siratharanont, the NLA’s whip spokesperson, meanwhile, has written on Facebook that the road map to the election will become clearer early next month.

 

“After March 8, the election road map will become clearer when all four organic laws essential for the poll are completely passed by the Assembly. Then [everyone] will wait for the royal endorsement, the promulgation and the enforcement, and the election will come within 150 days,” Jate said. 

 

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, said the government would announce the election date in June, presumably after all the organic laws were promulgated. The election would not be delayed, Wissanu said.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30339331

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-02-21

[z42]

And what's a promise from this guy worth again? Oh that's right, sweet <deleted>

[cornishcarlos]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

the road map to the election will become clearer early next month.

 

Ah, the road map..

The road map that has been talked about for 4 years..

Ever fluid, ever changing, ever adaptable to the Junta needs Road Map

Don't know about everyone else but I'm pretty much over this talk of a road map... I've got a sneaky suspicion that it doesn't exist !!!!

[rkidlad]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Several of us want to go to the poll to cast our votes, while others said they won’t and wish the junta to stay in power,” said the PM.

 

“However, I said that neither of these is acceptable. The fact is we must go to the poll and cast our votes, every one of us

What? If people wish the junta to stay in power then they have to go and vote for them. Maybe they can go to the ballots and simply tick ‘no’. That will show themselves. 

 

“I want the junta to stay in power, but I don’t want elections”. Reminds me of a girl I once dated who would complain of being hungry and also complain she’s too lazy to go and find food. These people are best ignored. 

 

 

 

 

[SABloke]

"Joint committee on bills will not delay election, Prayut promises" but something else will. 

[edwinchester]

No delay...great news so elections in November as promised.

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

“They have sought ways to seek mutual agreement so they must be settled eventually,”

more thai logic; to otherspeak: 'they are trying , so it Will be resolved';

given overall thai competence, that seems quite the stretch

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

There is speculation that the NLA committee might dump the drafts to further delay the election.

hard to credit the real players in all this with high intelligence, yet it seems this was the play all along;

leading to yet another unfulfilled promise from prayut

[RichardColeman]

Cannot delay what there are not plans to hold

[Eligius]

34 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

Cannot delay what there are not plans to hold

Yes, my friend: there are no plans to hold a GENUINE (free and fair) election. This is the key point. There may be bogus, fake elections, where people are not allowed to have the candidates they REALLY want and are not allowed to discuss everything fully and freely (as with the 'Constitution' - where only its glories could be extolled and not a single word against it could be publicly spoken). Also, any 'election' result would be so rigged and string-pulled by the military powers that the outcome would be pretty meaningless anyway.

 

This ruling bunch are not going to give up power and corrupt wealth without doing all they can - 'legal' and illegal - to hold on to that power and ill-gotten wealth. They are addicted to it. They are not going anywhere soon.

 

 

 

Edited February 21, 2018 by Eligius

[baboon]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Last week, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam, said the government would announce the election date in June, presumably after all the organic laws were promulgated. The election would not be delayed, Wissanu said.

 

Well there we have it, folks. The election will be delayed yet again. From the horse's mouth....

[mtls2005]

As if we didn't know this before, but it is interesting that the Junta supremo "knows" what the legislative body will do.

 

 

[baboon]

24 minutes ago, mtls2005 said:

As if we didn't know this before, but it is interesting that the Junta supremo "knows" what the legislative body will do.

 

 

He also knew the Burmese Two were guilty before they were even tried. Mystic powers or a Tardis, you choose...

[lvr181]

Which 'election' (and I use that term loosely) date is he talking about? I used to be confused, now I am lost. 

[petermik]

9 hours ago, edwinchester said:

No delay...great news so elections in November as promised.

 

8 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Cannot delay what there are not plans to hold

Trust must be placed in the good and great PM.............

[idman]

What election??? anyone with half a brain or has been in Thailand since 2006 knows full well that the General Prime Minister will never allow elections until he can be sure that Thaksin and his mob cannot buy the results.  As it stands these days that is a reality, The Red Shirts or whatever you want to call them are hoping for these elections knowing full well that they have the votes to return to power, bring back their fearless leader and his Daughter/Sister and once again turn Thailand into their own benefits.  Prayut is not stupid, he knows and the army and the Monarchy know this will happen if elections are held.  No way will they allow Thailand to be run once again by Thaksin.  Until it is certainity that Thaksin and his mob are eliminated from any possibility of reurning to power there will never be elections.  Take that to the bank.

[chama]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

Prayut also said he was concerned about student activists and the way teachers educate children nowadays.

 

He said by calling for changes irrespective of the cost to the country, the protesters are overlooking the potential losses to Thailand while a peaceful resolution still exists.

Yes, what are these teachers thinking? Not suppressing these youngsters ability to think for themselves and question issues that seem to be wrong or statements that may be untrue? 

 

Better to allow peaceful solutions that allow the politicians to line their pockets rather than paying for crime suppression agains those who are only asking for the truth.

[gunderhill]

"There will  be no coup"!!!!!

[lvr181]

On 2/21/2018 at 7:29 AM, webfact said:

 

Prayut also said he was concerned about student activists and the way teachers educate children nowadays.

Prayut would absolutely hate the American 'student activists' who are raising their voices (good on them) about school shootings (unfortunately all they have achieved, so far, is a knee jerk reaction by their leader).

 

Prayut will not have student activists challenging the feudal system in this country though and the controls currently in place (physical abuse) will remain in place, for "peace and order" as per Military/elitist control purposes. Maybe there is an "Oliver Cromwell" among them who could initiate some action and change?