Politicians see NLA proposal as a poll delay tactic

By THE NATION

 

File photo

 

AFTER SOME members of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) moved to amend the organic law governing the Election Commission (EC), some politicians said they are afraid another ploy may surface to delay the planned elections.
 

Former Democrat MP Attawich Suwanpakdee called on the NLA to withdraw the proposal, as it could delay the election even further. The national election is expected to be held between February and May next year.

 

The amendment the NLA is proposing aims to reverse the EC’s choice of provincial election inspectors. With new EC members awaiting royal endorsement, the NLA believes the choice of the provincial election inspectors should be left up to the new commissioners. This proposal came despite the tight election schedule.

 

Attawich, however, said the provincial election inspectors should be chosen by the incumbent EC. This way, he said, personnel will be in place to start selecting senators once the relevant organic law goes into effect next month.

 

The Constitution requires that senators be selected at least 15 days before the general election, the politician pointed out.

 

“However, the election cannot be held in February if the NLA insists on going ahead with the amendment,” he said. He was referring to the lengthy legislation procedure.

 

Worachai Hema from the Pheu Thai Party also wondered if the NLA was deliberately trying to delay the election.

 

He pointed out that the selection of election inspectors had been done as per regulations that were drafted and passed through by the NLA.

 

“This process has been going on for months, and suddenly, the NLA decides to scrap everything. I cannot look at it in any way other than it being a deliberate attempt to delay the elections,” Worachai said.

 

He added that elections had previously been delayed due to complications in certain legislation, hence he said, this could very well be a similar ploy.

 

Nikorn Chamnong, a veteran politician from Chart Thai Pattana Party, also said he was surprised that the NLA had decided to propose the amendment now.

 

The mechanism to scrutinise the election as well as the appointment of the inspectors had been designed after extensive discussions, so, he said, the NLA could face questions about its decision to seek an amendment to the very same regulation.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30351842

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-08-10

Who thinks the NLA is to blame?

 

Who thinks the NLA is an independent body concerned with legislation?

 

Who thinks the NLA would do ANYTHING on its own initiative?

 

Who thinks the NLA is anything other than the proverbial and literal 'rubber stamp'?

 

Who thinks this story is planted nonsense?

 

One only has to understand who appointed the bulk of the NLA members to see whose interests are being pushed here; more delays, however spurious the reasons are only going to embolden the NLA and the myriad of other agencies linked to them to persist with other such actions in the future.

And then the coup de grace is more and more time for the NCPO to do its thing and continue to campaign (on the pretense of conducting mobile cabinet meetings) for the election which will be held only once all the NCPO's ducks are in a row (read it can't possibly lose or cede power in any meaningful way)

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Former Democrat MP Attawich Suwanpakdee called on the NLA to withdraw the proposal, as it could delay the election even further.

Perhaps there's some attempt to get the number of election date postponements into double figures?

 

I watched a documentary about Burma recently in which it was stated changing the name of the country to Myanmar and driving from the left to the right-hand side of the road both happened after the ruling generals consulted a fortune teller. Just saying...

 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“This process has been going on for months, and suddenly, the NLA decides to scrap everything. I cannot look at it in any way other than it being a deliberate attempt to delay the elections,” Worachai said.

good point; another power grasp, more to follow...

I can spare the politicians the need to pop up every time and say that they fear the election is being delayed.

 

The 'election' is going to be delayed next February, next March, next April, next May, next June, next July, next ....  Just write on your calendar for 2019: 'Electoral DELAY.'

 

And when the sham election eventually comes (as it one day will - just to look good) - it will be an insult to the whole concept of genuine democracy, freedom of speech, fairness, impartiality, legality, morality - and to the intelligence of every man, woman and child reading this thread!

 

Edited August 10, 20187 yr by Eligius

There will be constant probes to determine the opposition to delays. This government thinks as long as they can blame the delays on someone, or something else, they won't be held responsible for the delays but the Thais are wary of this never-ending cycle of broken promises and realize with the amount of power in the hands of the current government they have all the authority they need to make an election happen. The real delay is due to efforts to erode support for opposition parties and place more of the junta's cronies in positions of influence. 

The desperately sickening part of this is that 99.9% of the local population are too lazy, stupid or plain apathetic to even know this is happening or what it means...they simply do not care in the slightest what happens as long as they can watch Lakorn and eat som tam and play Facebook...the Thai education system works very well.

Edited August 10, 20187 yr by bowerboy
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