'Curb Power' Of House Speaker: Thai Democrat

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'Curb power' of House Speaker

Kornchanok Raksaseri,

Olarn Lertratanadamrongkul

The Nation

Democrat wants Article giving Speaker major role in CDA selection procedure scrapped; meeting on Monday

BANGKOK: -- The House-Senate joint meeting on the second reading of the constitution amendment bill would be postponed from today and resume on Monday, House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont announced yesterday. The postponement would enable MPs to consider other unfinished legislative business, explained Somsak.

The third reading of the charter-change bill, which must take place at least 15 days after the second reading, was postponed indefinitely.

The Cabinet has extended this session of Parliament, originally due to end on from April 18, indefinitely.

The parliamentary meeting yesterday considered Article 291/6 of the amendment draft, which covers requirements on the 22 Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) members to be selected by Parliament.

More than 100 parliamentarians registered to debate, with most arguing that the draft would hand too much power to the House Speaker.

The draft authorises House Speaker Somsak, who is also Parliament speaker, to regulate the selection procedure, including identifying which organisations can nominate candidates, the setting up of a 15-member panel to verify qualifications, and making lists of candidates for parliamentarians to vote on. He would also be authorised to make regulations to cover any potential problems in the legislative procedure.

"It [the Article] is clearly an attempt to seize the Constitution Court. It would seize its power."

Democrat MP Warong Dechgitvikrom proposed eliminating the Article. He also proposed handing powers of the House Speaker over to the Senate Speaker and allowing only Senators a vote, so as to prevent domination by the ruling Pheu Thai Party.

Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakarn argued the whole article should be rejected, as all charter drafters should be elected. Parliament has voted to have 77 elected and 22 selected charter drafters. However, Weng rejected the notion that any one party would be able to dominate the vote, as it would be a secret ballot.

Weng, a member of the ad hoc committee on charter amendment, said the selection process proposal was not motivated by his party's desire for domination but by fear that the CDA might lack people with the required knowledge.

Democrat MP Chamni Sakdiset insisted that candidates should come from universities and institutes of similar academic level, as charter drafting is not about business.

Charter-change panel chairman Samart Kaewmeechai said private and non-government agencies are allowed to nominate CDA candidates just as in the selection of senators.

"Each agency will select their best. No matter how we select [the CDA members], we will get the best people," Samart said.

Parliament on Tuesday voted 397 to 20 to change the draft proposed by the ad hoc committee on charter amendment so as to apply Senate rules in the election of CDA members. Ten parliamentarians abstained.

Yesterday was the eighth day of debate on the second reading, which started on April 10.

-- The Nation 2012-04-26