Bedlam in Thai Parliament comes in for scathing criticism

[webfact]

House bedlam comes in for scathing criticism
Political Desk
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The bedlam in Parliament on Tuesday while discussing a constitutional amendment has drawn heavy public disapproval and media criticism, as ugly scenes of pushing and shoving between protesting MPs and policemen amidst screams and inflammatory comments were a reminder of similar chaos last May.

However, many consider the filibuster tactic employed by the opposition as acceptable. The Democrats put up strong opposition to a crucial amendment, which would potentially decide that all future senators must be elected. Scrutinising important amendments in early stages in a row with other key bills proved to be perhaps a wrong decision by the Pheu Thai-led coalition and the government whip. They agreed to allow this bill to be put higher up on the agenda reportedly after heavy lobbying by elected senators, whose terms will end next March.

A senior Pheu Thai source said all the senators, especially those elected who are friendlier to Pheu Thai, wanted to know their future as soon as possible. They offered to support any future bills or amendments proposed by the Pheu Thai-led government if this amendment was taken up early. "If they can run in a future general election after the amendment is complete, Pheu Thai anticipates support from up to 70 [Pheu Thai-friendly] senators in return, from all 150 senators," the source added.

The amendment contains several conditions in favour of elected senators, especially on allowing their spouses, family members or relatives, or those of any politician, to run in a future senatorial election. However, the 73 appointed senators whose terms will end in the next three years, and who are not allies of Pheu Thai, disagree with these conditions, and strongly oppose this amendment along with the opposition Democrats.

Core Pheu Thai leaders originally agreed that the 2014 Budget Bill and a borrowing bill for Bt2 trillion for infrastructure projects be a priority, but underestimated the Democrat Party's stance on this. "We did not think the Democrats would use such tactics to disrupt the debate on the senator-related amendment, which should have taken one or two days, so we agreed to put it higher up on the agenda, the source said.

The Pheu Thai-led government put important bills and amendments in a tight order on the agenda: the controversial amnesty bill on August 7; the 2014 Budget Bill on August 14, which has been halted and would be discussed again on August 23; and the senator-related amendment on Tuesday.

Pheu Thai MP Udomdej Rattanasathian, an adviser to the government whip, echoed the source's account on the lobbying by the elected senators. He said Pheu Thai might allow the Democrats and appointed senators to debate against the amendment for another day today, and possibly again next week.

Chaiyan Chaiyaporn, a lecturer on political science, said filibuster - a technique by minority MPs used to stall issues they are opposed to - was a rightful tactic and widely practised in parliaments worldwide. He said both Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont and Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij, as the presiding speaker, lacked knowledge about such a practice and skills to maintain order.

Another lecturer, Pornsant Liangbunlertchai, said he considered the "tyranny of minority" more worrying in that chaos. While not defining the phrase coined by him, he said "political play without conscientious care" would affect the functioning of the legislative branch as a whole.

Somsak, who chatted jokingly with reporters, said he was "a bit bored" with the commotion during Monday's session, apart from "being a bit tired", but "did not have a headache".

Opposition whip chief, Democrat MP Jurin Laksanawisit, said what had disgraced Parliament was not the protests by the Democrats but the deployment of a company of riot policemen near Parliament, which he said was an intimidation of lawmakers.

Pol Maj-General Parinya Chansuriya, a deputy Metropolitan Police commissioner, said yesterday that city police do not go inside the Parliament compound except when requested by Parliament police.

The line of the command starts with the Parliament president and they have clear procedures to follow.

Pol Maj-General Vichanvat Borirakkul, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 1, said a Parliament police officer, Theerasak Promsila, 41, had filed a complaint at Dusit Police Station that on Tuesday he was maintaining order in the meeting chamber when he was slugged by an unidentified MP and developed red, swollen bruises.

He had already had the injury checked at Phramongkutklao Hospital but had not fingered anybody.

Pol Maj-General Thitirat Nongharnpitak, another deputy commissioner, said his agency was contacted to deploy riot-control police on Tuesday after commotion disrupted the debate. The unit, however, stayed outside the Parliament compound.

Metropolitan Police have set up a situation-monitoring centre, so dispatching riot-control police to Parliament House could be done quickly.

Riot-control police will be stationed until the Constitution amendment bill passes its third reading, he added.


-- The Nation 2013-08-22

[RickBradford]

Riot-control police will be stationed until the Constitution amendment bill passes its third reading, he added.

And then the Army will take over.....

[NongKhaiKid]

So the Speaker was a bit bored with Tuesday's events, he didn't seem that bored when screaming at the BIB to get the Dems out of the chamber or he would charge them with insubordination.

Thanks to the PTP member quoted the indecent haste to get the amendment read is much clearer to me at least, an arrangement between PTP and 70 odd friendly senators with the quid pro quo being to sort out a cosy future for the senators who will lend their support to future bills etc.

[Robby nz]

And someone had to lie and say there were no riot police only traffic cops.

[Somtamnication]

Tuk Tuk drivers and politicians. All related. No surprise there!

[Orac]

So the Speaker was a bit bored with Tuesday's events, he didn't seem that bored when screaming at the BIB to get the Dems out of the chamber or he would charge them with insubordination.

Thanks to the PTP member quoted the indecent haste to get the amendment read is much clearer to me at least, an arrangement between PTP and 70 odd friendly senators with the quid pro quo being to sort out a cosy future for the senators who will lend their support to future bills etc.

The figures quoted, if correct, clearly highlight the difference between appointed and elected senators.

73 appointed senators are not allies of PT and strongly oppose the ammendments (are they short of one as there should be 74 appointed senators) but there are 70 elected senators who are identified as PT friendly, though not clear by whom, which represent 70 out of 75 provinces in Thailand. If PT have friendly senators elected to well over 90% of Thailands provinces already this is a huge reflection of how much power they already have.

[NormanChomsky]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

[Siripon]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

They're not complaining about the election of senators, they're complaining about the easing of rstrictions on relatives of MPs running and the number of terms that can be served.

In other words, they want an effective check and balance mechanism to Parliament, not a rubber stamp, especially as senators select members of independent organsations checking corruption.

[hellodolly]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

They're not complaining about the election of senators, they're complaining about the easing of rstrictions on relatives of MPs running and the number of terms that can be served.

In other words, they want an effective check and balance mechanism to Parliament, not a rubber stamp, especially as senators select members of independent organsations checking corruption.

The current situation with the PM and a previous PM should show the problems with letting the relatives run.

How ever in all fairness they should be allowed to run. It is just a sad state of affairs when the people in the system devise nefarious ways to hold on to the positions by use of a clone or other relative.

[Tywais]

They're lightweights compared to the MPs in the Taiwanese parliament. They've been at it for years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATWPQfbww7w

[johnnie20110]

73 appointed senators are not allies of PT and strongly oppose the ammendments (are they short of one as there should be 74 appointed senators) but there are 70 elected senators who are identified as PT friendly, though not clear by whom, which represent 70 out of 75 provinces in Thailand. If PT have friendly senators elected to well over 90% of Thailands provinces already this is a huge reflection of how much power they already have.

Just to update your information.

Thailand has had 76 provinces since 1993 and for the past one and a half years, Thailand has had 77 provinces.

As for the Senate, there aren't supposed to be any PTP friendly Senators (or Dem) as they are constitutionally mandated to be non-partisan.

As a number of them actually are, those elected are not any sort of validation of PTP's popularity.

If PTP wants to amend the constitutional article on senators, they should abolish the non-partisan clause and let them campaign under one of the partys' banners.

But no, they like that charade and instead want to amend the clause that prohibits family members from running.

[ratcatcher]

The use of the word bedlam to describe the goings on in the Thai Parliament, is quite understandable.

The original hospital in London, by the name Bethlem, has been around nearly 700 years and in past times was described as a "Human Zoo" and a "University of Madness"

Both descriptions seem apt when one observes the occasional goings on in the local seat of power. Of course this is not unique to Thailand.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/bedlam-the-history-of-bethlem-hospital/

[ppmacready]

Yellow shirt or red shirt.

Conservative or labour.

Its ground hog day.

[tingtongteesood]

Very smart move by Taksin making his puppet the defence minister, if you ever dare to say anything against her and her criminal gang, the army stormtroopers will be called in to deal with you. The evil Empire is rising

[gemini81]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

Speak for those drunken mafia fists fights at the parliament of your old hammer and sickle first.

They just wants checks and balances as dems...and now riot police? Never were there for the dems.

Well when the going gets tough, hope the army get going; before PT take over that area, which they're in the midst of doing.

Dems are the only ones trying to prevent dictatorships; but if you like the hammer and sickle.............................

[donmuang37]

The facts are that PTP won a landslide victory in the last election while the Democrats have never won a national election. They only manage to gain power by nefarious means, such as military coups. So it is understandable that the Dems don't want senators elected as they don't expect to win many seats. And furthermore, it's not clear that appointed senators would be more competent or more honest. Methinks they would just be beholden to other parties. So no political party is lily white. But the scene in the parliment seems to be a desperate measure by a desperate party. Ignoring parlimentary rules when you don't like how things are going seems to negate the idea of democracy - not that anyone would accuse Thailand of really being a democracy!

[mikemac]

They only manage to gain power by nefarious means, such as military coups.

And why, pray tell, do these coups take place ? If you had the smarts to know why these rotten to the core regimes such as Thaksin's are overthrown by force you probably would not use such anal terms as "nefarious means".................

[rijb]

They only manage to gain power by nefarious means, such as military coups.

And why, pray tell, do these coups take place ? If you had the smarts to know why these rotten to the core regimes such as Thaksin's are overthrown by force you probably would not use such anal terms as "nefarious means".................

Why don't you enlighten us? Or are you just a troll?

[NormanChomsky]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

Speak for those drunken mafia fists fights at the parliament of your old hammer and sickle first.

They just wants checks and balances as dems...and now riot police? Never were there for the dems.

Well when the going gets tough, hope the army get going; before PT take over that area, which they're in the midst of doing.

Dems are the only ones trying to prevent dictatorships; but if you like the hammer and sickle.............................

yes thailand needs a heavy dose of socialism

[wolf5370]

The facts are that PTP won a landslide victory in the last election while the Democrats have never won a national election. They only manage to gain power by nefarious means, such as military coups. So it is understandable that the Dems don't want senators elected as they don't expect to win many seats. And furthermore, it's not clear that appointed senators would be more competent or more honest. Methinks they would just be beholden to other parties. So no political party is lily white. But the scene in the parliment seems to be a desperate measure by a desperate party. Ignoring parlimentary rules when you don't like how things are going seems to negate the idea of democracy - not that anyone would accuse Thailand of really being a democracy!

Yawn! Why do you people just continually spew the same rubbish - <deleted> look it up search right here - and see how much of what you just said is BS - from your very first sentence on!

[wolf5370]

"Democrats" complaining about elections

Speak for those drunken mafia fists fights at the parliament of your old hammer and sickle first.

They just wants checks and balances as dems...and now riot police? Never were there for the dems.

Well when the going gets tough, hope the army get going; before PT take over that area, which they're in the midst of doing.

Dems are the only ones trying to prevent dictatorships; but if you like the hammer and sickle.............................

yes thailand needs a heavy dose of socialism

unfortunately there would be many Stalins and no Trotskys.

[wolf5370]

They only manage to gain power by nefarious means, such as military coups.

And why, pray tell, do these coups take place ? If you had the smarts to know why these rotten to the core regimes such as Thaksin's are overthrown by force you probably would not use such anal terms as "nefarious means".................

Why don't you enlighten us? Or are you just a troll?

erm, I'd guess, because they are rotten to the core (clue could be in the sentence)