Panel Votes To Revive Thai Govt Draft

[webfact]

CHARTER AMENDMENT

Panel votes to revive govt draft

The Nation

Nipit Intarasombat, second left, and other Democrat MPs who are members of the parliamentary committee vetting the constitutional amendment bills call a press conference at the Parliament building yesterday to explain their walkout during the panel

Coalition whips to seek extension of parliamentary session

BANGKOK: -- The government camp in the parliamentary committee vetting the constitutional-amendment bills yesterday cast a new vote to change the Constitution Drafting Assembly's composition and retain the government draft.

At a meeting on Wednesday, committee chairman Samart Kaewmechai called for a vote on a government-sponsored clause outlining formation of the CDA. He did so without first checking attendance of members from the ruling coalition.

Samart failed to notice that a number of Pheu Thai MPs had stepped out of the meeting room before the vote was called. Consequently, the outcome was the dropping of the clause by a 12-10 vote despite the coalition's majority in the 45-member committee.

The panel later on Wednesday endorsed a proposal for the CDA to have 200 members, all of them elected. The government's draft calls for the CDA to comprise 99 members, of whom 77 will be directly elected to represent each province and 22 will be appointed by Parliament from a pool of academics.

Yesterday, Samart tried to push for the committee's reconsideration of the clause about formation of the CDA, asking the members to choose from the two drafts sponsored separately by the Pheu Thai and Chart Thai Pattana parties and the draft backed by minority committee members. Opposition Democrat MPs who are members of the parliamentary committee vetting the constitutional-amendment bills yesterday staged a walkout to protest against what they described as failure by the panel's chairman to follow meeting regulations.

The Democrats said Samart, who is from the ruling Pheu Thai Party, tried to push for deliberation of the clause that had been voted down by the committee on Wednesday.

The Democrats later called a news conference to explain about their walkout. Senior Democrat MP Suthas Ngernmuen told the press conference that Samart had failed to follow the rules on parliamentary meetings in trying to push for a vote on the other drafts after the committee members had voted down the government-sponsored clause on CDA establishment. He said the Democrats would return to the meeting room when the panel considered another clause.

Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombat said the government-sponsored clause should be considered to be voted down after the meeting on Wednesday resolved that all 200 CDA members should be elected.

When the vetting panel reconvened yesterday afternoon, Pheu Thai MP Woravat Auapinyakul suggested that the meeting reconsider the clause about the CDA's composition. This led to arguments between panel members from the opposition and the government. Some Democrat MPs later walked out in protest again, leaving a few other Democrats in the meeting room.

The majority at the meeting voted to reconsider the clause in question. The meeting later voted 21-3 to support the government draft regarding the CDA composition.

Meanwhile, government whips plan to seek extension of the current parliamentary session until late May, the chief coalition whip said yesterday.

Udomdej Ratanasathien, who is also a Pheu Thai MP, denied that the proposed extension was aimed at expediting deliberation of the government's constitutional-amendment bill. "That is just an incidental benefit," he said.

According to the chief coalition whip, the extended period would allow the draft laws sponsored by civic groups to be passed by Parliament within the current session.

He said that because of the flood crisis late last year, meetings in the early period of the current parliamentary session were often interrupted because many MPs visited their constituencies affected by flooding.

Udomdej said coalition whips were discussing the extension with the House Speaker and he expected an agreement to be reached in a day or two. "We will see if we will be able to push for passage of the laws within the current session, otherwise there is no use in extending the session."

According to the chief whip, the session is likely to be extended until late May. The current parliamentary session had originally been scheduled to end on April 19.

The plan for extension of the parliamentary session came amid speculation that the government would push for expedited passage of the constitutional-amendment bill, deliberation of reconciliation proposals, and issuance of an amnesty law for those involved in the political conflicts over recent years.

-- The Nation 2012-03-30

[sparebox2]

21 to 3 is a clear win for PT to me.