Pheu Thai: Constitution amendment is not to abolish democracy

[webfact]

Pheu Thai: Constitution amendment is not to abolish democracy

BANGKOK, 16 Sep 2013 (NNT) - The focus of the constitution amendment is not to abolish the democracy, according to the ruling Pheu Thai Party.

The comment was made by Spokesman of the Party Prompong Nopparit, in response to a recent move by the opposition and several senators calling for the Constitutional Court's interpretation on the third hearing of the constitutional draft amendment.

He criticized the move as not showing respect to the voice that represents the majority of the people, adding that the court had already interpreted the matter.

Mr. Prompong pointed out that what the House was doing was also in line with the precedent laid down by the Constitutional Court. Moreover, he stressed that it was within the authority of the lawmakers to amend the Constitution.

The Pheu Thai Spokesperson stated that an amendment to the structure of the Senate is considered a means to give back to the people their rights. He concluded that such a pure intention could not possibly imply abolishing the democracy as many parties have claimed.

Mr. Prompong also said that legal proceeding will be sought if the opposition still sets on forestalling the Parliament’s planned voting on constitutional amendment on September 27.


-- NNT 2013-09-16

[djjamie]

The senate boasts a compliment of experienced professionals. Elections would effectively eliminate their valuable expertise from the political process. The appointed senators are economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants and consumer advocates. Many would be unwilling to campaign and would have their seats filled by PT puppets funded with PTP money. Don’t forget PT has access to more money than the DEM party does (tax money). Money wins elections. The Senate would effectively become a mirror image of the PTP. People argue it was DEM inclined before. I don't agree. I believe it was justice inclined, competent inclined and democratically inclined. For arguments sake lets pretend it was DEM inclined. They agree with elections thus are more than happy for the senate to have the DEMS removed and replaced with PTP sympathizers. That is an irrational and undemocratic argument. PT supporters are a confused lot. Some supporters are Canadians that argue that an appointed senate is undemocratic yet an appointed senate has served Canadians for 140 years and have done a fine job of it. Is this why they live in Thailand, because they disagree with a functioning democracy like Canada yet hate the fact their senate are all elected into their positions. I doubt it.

This PT push is a veiled return to a dictatorship by an antagonist PT with an already dubious claim to the voice of the electorate.

So after highlighting the above would you believe what the confused guys say?

[boomerangutang]

On the surface, I would prefer to see elected reps. However, this being Thailand, elections aren't what westerners expect. Instead of people campaigning, debating, taking stands on issues, etc., we have instead, in Thailand; family members who are enmeshed in mafia-like organizations which very effectively pay peons to vote how they're told to vote.

Since I oppose every other initiative by PT, I'll oppose this one also. Their motto; "Thaksin Thinks, PT Acts" .....is enough reason in itself.

[tonneke breda]

Welcome to the new Asian 1 party state of the future.....

[Chrisswe]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

[gabruce]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

Good joke.

[Baerboxer]

PTP polled 48% of the votes cast. A large amount of the eligible voters chose not to vote. 48% ain't a majority and 48% of those who actually voted ain't even close. So PTP do not speak for the majority as they so often claim (along with certain TV posters).

If they wan't to put this to a test then they should old a referendum. They won't of course because they're scared of losing. So instead they try to manipulate and distort and make false claims.

Most people can work out their real goal - and it certainly isn't democracy.

[h90]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

why?

[drdoom6996]

I agree, it's just one of the steps to get Taksin back so he can abolish democracy.

[khunken]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

Call it what you or your PTP friends like, it was the first constitution that the Thais were able to vote on & they accepted it. How democratic is that?

[Always18]

Well, thanks Mr Nopparit - that's really put my mind at ease................................

[Just1Voice]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

Call it what you or your PTP friends like, it was the first constitution that the Thais were able to vote on & they accepted it. How democratic is that?

Oops, clicked Like by mistake. What you state is not quite accurate. After the coup,the military drafted a new constitution and then presented it to the people to vote on. That part is correct, but you, like many others, either don't know, or simply ignore, the fact that the military told the people to either vote for the new one, or stay under military rule indefinitely. And that talking about the new one in any negative tone could, and did, result in arrest and imprisonment. Gee, what a choice!

[Thai at Heart]

Thing is, for 70 years, Thailand had a managed democracy, managed a certain way to benefit one bunch of people. So proper democracy didn't take root.

So now, someone wants it changed to benefit his bunch of people. More fool the lot before, who didn't put it firmly in place.

[siampolee]

Just remember Thaksins quote ( thus it is also his puppets party's aim too) vis a vis democracy, His quote is posted as a signature at the bottom of all my posts

Just to reminfd you I've posted below as well.

PM'S DECLARATION:'Democracy is not my goal' Thaksin suggests he'll block any move for amendments to rein in his power

Edited September 16, 2013 by siampolee

[ratcatcher]

Pheu Thai: Constitution amendment is not to abolish democracy.

Correct, their policy, will be to put it in cold storage for a few years.

[scorecard]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

Call it what you or your PTP friends like, it was the first constitution that the Thais were able to vote on & they accepted it. How democratic is that?

Oops, clicked Like by mistake. What you state is not quite accurate. After the coup,the military drafted a new constitution and then presented it to the people to vote on. That part is correct, but you, like many others, either don't know, or simply ignore, the fact that the military told the people to either vote for the new one, or stay under military rule indefinitely. And that talking about the new one in any negative tone could, and did, result in arrest and imprisonment. Gee, what a choice!

Well what you say is also not quite accurate in fact your comment is way off the truth, and I suspect deliberately not the truth.

[hellodolly]

PTP polled 48% of the votes cast. A large amount of the eligible voters chose not to vote. 48% ain't a majority and 48% of those who actually voted ain't even close. So PTP do not speak for the majority as they so often claim (along with certain TV posters).

If they wan't to put this to a test then they should old a referendum. They won't of course because they're scared of losing. So instead they try to manipulate and distort and make false claims.

Most people can work out their real goal - and it certainly isn't democracy.

You are so rite. The blatant lies are an insult to the voters and a sign of the PTP desperation.

If we had to name a real leader for the Majority it would be Abhist as he represents the opposition to the PTPs attempt to turn Thailand into a dictatorship with relatives to pass it off to.

"He criticized the move as not showing respect to the voice that represents the majority of the people"

If he had not moved his mouth some might have believed him. Actually I see a sea of red.

[Thai at Heart]

There is no doubt , this military constitution must be changed for the Thai people's future in an Democratic manner.

Call it what you or your PTP friends like, it was the first constitution that the Thais were able to vote on & they accepted it. How democratic is that?

Oops, clicked Like by mistake. What you state is not quite accurate. After the coup,the military drafted a new constitution and then presented it to the people to vote on. That part is correct, but you, like many others, either don't know, or simply ignore, the fact that the military told the people to either vote for the new one, or stay under military rule indefinitely. And that talking about the new one in any negative tone could, and did, result in arrest and imprisonment. Gee, what a choice!

Well what you say is also not quite accurate in fact your comment is way off the truth, and I suspect deliberately not the truth.

This was widely reported in many many places, it was actively illegal to campaign for a no vote, and huge wedges of the country were still under a form of emergency law that made it illegal for people to gather at rallies.

So, to claim that the last constitution vote was held under a completely free situation is ludicrous. Yes people voted, but hardly from a position of a completely free voting and campaigning environment. And yes, the threat of take it or leave it, was out there implicitly.

[Bluespunk]

"Pheu Thai: Constitution amendment is not to abolish democracy"

Liars

[Just1Voice]

SCORECARD, nothing personal, because I don't get into personal "arguments" or "disputes" on here, but do suggest that you try reading some history NOT written by Thai.

Google is a pretty good place to start.

[Bluespunk]

"The Pheu Thai Spokesperson stated that an amendment to the structure of the Senate is considered a means to give back to the people their rights. He concluded that such a pure intention could not possibly imply abolishing the democracy as many parties have claimed."

Big fat liar. These amendments are nothing but stepping stones to PT's complete stranglehold on power and wealth creation schemes, keep it in the family and make sure the family is shin corp.

[peterpop]

The senate boasts a compliment of experienced professionals. Elections would effectively eliminate their valuable expertise from the political process. The appointed senators are economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants and consumer advocates. Many would be unwilling to campaign and would have their seats filled by PT puppets funded with PTP money. Don’t forget PT has access to more money than the DEM party does (tax money). Money wins elections. The Senate would effectively become a mirror image of the PTP. People argue it was DEM inclined before. I don't agree. I believe it was justice inclined, competent inclined and democratically inclined. For arguments sake lets pretend it was DEM inclined. They agree with elections thus are more than happy for the senate to have the DEMS removed and replaced with PTP sympathizers. That is an irrational and undemocratic argument. PT supporters are a confused lot. Some supporters are Canadians that argue that an appointed senate is undemocratic yet an appointed senate has served Canadians for 140 years and have done a fine job of it. Is this why they live in Thailand, because they disagree with a functioning democracy like Canada yet hate the fact their senate are all elected into their positions. I doubt it.

This PT push is a veiled return to a dictatorship by an antagonist PT with an already dubious claim to the voice of the electorate.

So after highlighting the above would you believe what the confused guys say?

I think your views are very one sided that seems to be the norm for this forum. Very Yellow shirt.

You should concentrate on the process of Democracy that, here in Thailand though not perfect, is actually not bad. In two general elections the present government has been OVERWHELMINGLY returned to power. Accept it. Get used to it. Because you are foreign does not automatically give you the right to feel superior.

[Baerboxer]

The senate boasts a compliment of experienced professionals. Elections would effectively eliminate their valuable expertise from the political process. The appointed senators are economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants and consumer advocates. Many would be unwilling to campaign and would have their seats filled by PT puppets funded with PTP money. Don’t forget PT has access to more money than the DEM party does (tax money). Money wins elections. The Senate would effectively become a mirror image of the PTP. People argue it was DEM inclined before. I don't agree. I believe it was justice inclined, competent inclined and democratically inclined. For arguments sake lets pretend it was DEM inclined. They agree with elections thus are more than happy for the senate to have the DEMS removed and replaced with PTP sympathizers. That is an irrational and undemocratic argument. PT supporters are a confused lot. Some supporters are Canadians that argue that an appointed senate is undemocratic yet an appointed senate has served Canadians for 140 years and have done a fine job of it. Is this why they live in Thailand, because they disagree with a functioning democracy like Canada yet hate the fact their senate are all elected into their positions. I doubt it.

This PT push is a veiled return to a dictatorship by an antagonist PT with an already dubious claim to the voice of the electorate.

So after highlighting the above would you believe what the confused guys say?

I think your views are very one sided that seems to be the norm for this forum. Very Yellow shirt.

You should concentrate on the process of Democracy that, here in Thailand though not perfect, is actually not bad. In two general elections the present government has been OVERWHELMINGLY returned to power. Accept it. Get used to it. Because you are foreign does not automatically give you the right to feel superior.

You type the word "overwhelmingly" in capitals. PTP have only contested one general election? And, as I previously posted, polled 48% of the number of votes cast which was by now means a full turnout. They have subsequently lost in the Bangkok government election and Don Meuang bye-election - this being considered a very safe seat for them.

This is their fist term of office so they couldn't have been returned to power, and the % of votes they received was no where near "overwhelming".

Maybe you should concentrate on checking your facts before jumping to defend the political party you seem to favour.

[boonmachan]

Com'on you guys. Whoever you are supporting, please make known whoever is in power will try every means to change things to stay in power. Be it DEM,PTP etc.... Grow up guys and stop making unrealistic comments.

[marcusd]

Peterpoppy I think you arealready brainwashed. Red yellow pink or blue corruption will always win through

Sent from my GT-N7000B using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Stradavarius37]

Welcome to the new Asian 1 party state of the future.....

Worked for Singapore

[Roadman]

Welcome to the new Asian 1 party state of the future.....

Worked for Singapore

And Cambodia

[Thaddeus]

Welcome to the new Asian 1 party state of the future.....

Worked for Singapore

And Cambodia

Don't tell them that, they don't like that, well, a very small minority of them don't like that.

[rametindallas]

The senate boasts a compliment of experienced professionals. Elections would effectively eliminate their valuable expertise from the political process. The appointed senators are economists, scientists, businessmen, judges, lawyers, professors, engineers, social workers, doctors, public servants and consumer advocates. Many would be unwilling to campaign and would have their seats filled by PT puppets funded with PTP money. Don’t forget PT has access to more money than the DEM party does (tax money). Money wins elections. The Senate would effectively become a mirror image of the PTP. People argue it was DEM inclined before. I don't agree. I believe it was justice inclined, competent inclined and democratically inclined. For arguments sake lets pretend it was DEM inclined. They agree with elections thus are more than happy for the senate to have the DEMS removed and replaced with PTP sympathizers. That is an irrational and undemocratic argument. PT supporters are a confused lot. Some supporters are Canadians that argue that an appointed senate is undemocratic yet an appointed senate has served Canadians for 140 years and have done a fine job of it. Is this why they live in Thailand, because they disagree with a functioning democracy like Canada yet hate the fact their senate are all elected into their positions. I doubt it.

This PT push is a veiled return to a dictatorship by an antagonist PT with an already dubious claim to the voice of the electorate.

So after highlighting the above would you believe what the confused guys say?

Don’t forget PT has access to more money than the DEM party does (tax money). Money wins elections.

"The Commerce Ministry earlier informed the committee that 2.9 million tonnes of rice was missing from granaries. However, after inspection by police and other agencies, the figure could rise to 3.9 million tonnes."

At 15,000 Baht per tonne, that missing rice is worth between $1,357,200,000 and $1,825,200,000. The accounts show that the government paid for the rice but cannot show the rice. Maybe this rice never existed. This unaccounted for money, alone, would buy 86,860,800 to 116,812,800 votes at Baht 500 per vote. Since there are only 65 million souls in Thailand and not all are old enough to vote, that leaves a nice cushion for funding canvassers, village and district leaders, and poll watchers. The best part is that it won't have to come from Dr. Thaksin's pockets this time.

The very fact that the Puea Thai Party has to deny its intentions is proof they are covering up as they are compulsive liars. Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong is an admitted liar.

Vote buying in Thailand: http://web.mit.edu/CIS/pdf/Hicken%20-%20The%20Market%20for%20Votes.pdf

Edited September 16, 2013 by rametindallas

[Robby nz]

Possibly worse than the elected V appointed bit is the part where friends and relations of pollies can become senators.

There is also the clause that allows them to serve consecutive terms which means once the uncle, brother, wife or other family member is in there they can stay for life.

A nice lucrative family business.