Abhisit insists on Somsak chairing session
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva called on Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont to solely chair the HouseSenate joint meeting.

He said Somsak, also House Speaker, should be the only chairman in such meetings, otherwise, his deputy and Senate Speaker Nikom Wairat-panij would keep changing the debate agreements during the meetings.

The second choice, Abhisit said, would follow the tradition in the past that the deputy parliament president would sit beside the president and take over only when the president goes to the toilet.

The other choice proposed by Abhisit was that agreements are made clear each time before Nikom begins work as the meeting chairman.

Somsak said he would not be able to accept Abhisit's proposal because he was human, not a robot. Lawmakers could avoid problems if all of them took parliamentary regulations seriously.

The opposition has filed a petition to impeach Nikom for abruptly closing a parliamentary session and calling votes but not letting MPs to speak.

Opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanawisit submitted a letter of protest to deputy Senate Speaker Anan Ariyachaipanich with the notice to be sent to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) to seek Nikom's impeachment. The petition was signed by 141 Democrat MPs.

Anan said the signatures supporting the impeachment request would be verified, and that should be completed before September 20. The petition would then be forwarded to the NACC.

Jurin said Nikom abused his power by closing a parliamentary session on Wednesday night and refused to allow many Democrat MPs to deliberate on charter amendment in relation to the qualification of senators. Nikom's action may have violated Section 122 of the Constitution because he abruptly ended debate by opposition MPs.

Nikom said he was not afraid of impeachment as he had done his best. "Let the investigators do their job. I will not interfere. I want to go back home anyway," he said.

Government chief whip Aumnuay Khlangpha said the government whip decided to run a meeting from the House-Senate joint session on charter change in session 6 today as well as on Tuesday and Wednesday. He said the opposition could debate but they should outline how long they want to debate this charter amendment.


-- The Nation 2013-09-07

"I want to go back home anyway" What a statesman. Makes the nation proud.

"I want to go back home anyway" What a statesman. Makes the nation proud.

Perhaps Khun Nikom should volunteer, for a sideways-promotion to a more-interesting job, one more to his taste ?

Nikom said he was not afraid of impeachment as he had done his best. "Let the investigators do their job. I will not interfere. I want to go back home anyway," he said.

Thus we see encapsulated the respect that this creature has for his parliamentary position and the people he is supposed to serve, democracy is yet again of the high altar as a sacrifice by the P.T.P. puppet government.

Nikom , why not retire and live at home full time? Oh sorry , no doubt the monthly stipend would stop would it not.

The sitting of parliament in Thailand is a shambles, besides the genuine members trying to make the lives of the Thai people more liveable, there are those who are there for their own benefit , this in it's self should raise the alarms of both leaders , instead the Shinawtra , PTP continue to bulldoze and pull any trick to get their idea's through the house of the people, there is no control of the checks and balances, it's a house for us , not the people, until this mind set changes, Thailand will stagnate slowly and lose advantage in the Sth East Asia region.

Why not?

Former-PM Abhisit calls for the Speaker to actually chair parliamentary-sessions himself, is there nothing these dastardly Dems will not stoop-to, to sabotage Red-Democracy ?

What makes it even more hilarious, is that the joint-meeting with the Senate couldn't get a quorum, due partly to 56 government-MPs failing-to-show, so they all went off home again.

Edited September 8, 201312 yr by Ricardo

Funny that the predictable anti-democratic yellow shirt supporters on here cherry-picked the "I want to go home anyway" line and selectively omitted "Let the investigators do their job, I will not interfere". Context chaps, context.

Funny that the predictable anti-democratic yellow shirt supporters on here cherry-picked the "I want to go home anyway" line and selectively omitted "Let the investigators do their job, I will not interfere". Context chaps, context.

Reality is not viewed through rose tinted glasses. Somsak is just another P.T.P. puppet who can and often does like his paymaster and the rest of the snake oil salesmen and saleswomen along with big sister in the P.T.P. walk under a snake without touching its belly, this creature has no interest in the welfare of those who he is supposed to serve as a ''public servant.''

Thaksin clan first, brown nosing acolytes second and to hell with the people of Thailand.