CDC: New constitution will be acceptable to public without needs for referendum

BANGKOK, 31 October 2014 (NNT) – General Lertrat Ratanavanich, a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) said the CDC is expected to hold its first meeting next week right after the National Reform Council (NRC) Chairman signs the appointments of all the 36 CDC members on 4 November.

He said that pending a proposed suggestion on the Constitution Draft from NRC, the CDC members will be visiting people in each part of the country to gather public opinions and will also listen to opinions from different sectors including the cabinet and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).

Gen Lertrat expected the NRC proposal to reach the CDC by 19 December, after which the CDC will hold a meeting to assign clear responsibilities to each member. According to him, the CDC will have five and a half months left to complete the drafting of the new Constitution.

He also confirmed that all the CDC members were selected transparently and that all of them represent a wide range of professional fields; therefore, he was confident the public would give recognition to the new constitution without having to conduct a referendum which demands a budget of 2,000 million baht and three months to complete. He believed a public hearing would be enough for the new constitution.

Gen Lertrat also revealed in his capacity as chairman of the committee on Drafting the Rules of Procedure for the National Reform Council that the drafting has been completed and already put into the agenda for the NRC’s consideration on Monday 3 November.


-- NNT 2014-10-31

Seems legit.....

They need to make it very challenging to amend the constitution, so it could only be done if there was widespread agreement with an amendment from the general public. Something like 75% in a referendum.

But to do this they should have a referendum for this constitution to give it the legitimacy it requires going forward.

Just throwing a constitution on the table and making it extremely difficult to change without a referendum is a recipe for more social unrest, particularly if there are controversial aspects to it.

Nanny knows best, children........................................

Can't have the populace having opinions on the way they will be governed cam we ... it might interfere with what this process is designed to do. Which has nothing whatsoever to do with reconciliation.

What else could one expect. One more crime after another.

History will not be kind to these fools!

They need to make it very challenging to amend the constitution, so it could only be done if there was widespread agreement with an amendment from the general public. Something like 75% in a referendum.

But to do this they should have a referendum for this constitution to give it the legitimacy it requires going forward.

Just throwing a constitution on the table and making it extremely difficult to change without a referendum is a recipe for more social unrest, particularly if there are controversial aspects to it.

Who needs to make it very difficult to challenge an amendment?

Speak squattily dit here, about such, and the consequences are likely lese majeste. The powers that be rule by the gun now.... remember?

Edited October 31, 201411 yr by Commerce

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They are going to force this in with no referendum?

And there are some that still believe there will be elections next year!

What's next?.... No needs for elections, just a waste of money and time!

What else could one expect. One more crime after another.

History will not be kind to these fools!

History?

After 19 constitutions history can also be rewritten... as it has.

Without a referendum just where is the proof that any new constitution has mass acceptance?

Put your uniforms back on!! At least be honest about your intentions: Keep the feudal system in place at any price!

You make places like Zimbabwe, Iran and North Korea look like true democracies!!

Have to disagree with this, there must be approval by the people through a referendum - there is no option otherwise it will be a political disaster going forward, it is money well spent to provide stability unlike the huge amount of billions that are thrown around on useless projects and not one person raises an eyelid

Why spend 15 months on reforms only to throw it all away by not getting it endorsed by the Thai people

How do you know if its acceptable if you have no referendum? The 2007 constitution was forced down the peoples throats and the new one will be the same, even worse they are not even given the teflon coated version where there is a referendum.

Why have the Thai electorate have a say in the framework on which the country is governed. Uncle general knows best and will just shove it down their throats.

Bunch of clowns the lot of them.

So why was a team sent to Scotland to observe the Scottish Independence referendum? Obviously they came back with the conclusion that the democratic process in Thailand is much fairer, open and above conjecture.

Can't the public at least get a Dusit survey of 1,500 people showing that 95% agree with the new constitution?

I would think its pretty obvious that there wont be any elections till after "something" happens and the dust has settled, so it could be quite a way off and naturally they cant give a timetable

Well he's right in a way. There's no point having a referendum like the last one, when campaigning against it was strictly forbidden and every state institution including public schools were forced to put up banners encouraging people that a vote for the new constitution was akin to a vote to support the monarchy.

If there is one thing a self-appointed government is good at, it's circular reasoning.

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They are going to force this in with no referendum?

a referendum is a red herring anyway.

the people will accept the new constitution because they will have no choice - referendum or no referendum.

What a stitch up! Disgraceful. The last referendum was bad enough where no one could campaign against the proposal...but a constitution without a referendum...and the reason to save a paltry $60million...ridiculous.

Goodbye Thailand - Hello to the New Myanma... we have been expecting you....

Without a referendum just where is the proof that any new constitution has mass acceptance?

It quite clearly states "the CDC members will be visiting people in each part of the country to gather public opinions and will also listen to opinions from different sectors including the cabinet and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)

This is going to be as honest and transparent as the recent polls showing the PM is the best, the most popular, the fairest that Thailand has ever had. His popularity is not equalled in any country outside North Korea.

So don´t worry....... be happy!

Here's your new constitution. We don't care if you don't like it, we like it, and that's all that matters. No need to vote on it, as we already approved it.

A troll post has been removed.

Here's your new constitution. We don't care if you don't like it, we like it, and that's all that matters. No need to vote on it, as we already approved it.

There has to be a Monty Python sketch to cover this one!

And for some reason the "going around the country to ask selected people's opinions (about the constitution)" had me thinking of Keith Chegwin when he used to wake people up early on a Saturday morning, to ask them silly questions and give them a prize.

This is all getting a bit surreal.

They are not ‘clowns’ (post#16) or ‘fools’ (post#6), they are potent power mongers who are resolutely implementing their well thought out strategy that has only one objective: to keep them on top of this country by all means and for a long time to come. The clowns and fools are those – on the streets but also here on the forum – who cheered them into power and naively believed that they would bring change for the better.

General Lertrat, why for the Lord's sake didn't you keep your mouth shut? Is it for a minute of glory glitter in front of the press? Did you give it a single thought that millions of Thai citizens might expect this new Constitution to be better, for them, than the previous ones, before shooting a huge hole through the whole concept already? And showing you are a total xxxxxxx (seems I can't find a name insulting enough to express my opinion) while having been selected as a member of the CDC, is not a hopefull sign either. Your outing that a referendum might not be needed will make quite obvious to all Thais that this will anyway not be 'their' Constitution, but the next dreaded piece of paper forced upon them.

Until now not one good word to say about all the Generals' communication skills, that's for sure, oh my Buddha! Praying it's only the communication that sucks, and not what's inside their brains, though...