Prayut calls for people-centred, effective charter

[Lite Beer]

Prayut calls for people-centred, effective charter
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday gave guidelines to charter drafters, saying the new constitution should be people-centred, fair, thorough, transparent, and most importantly, effective.

"I told Cabinet members to get all sides involved in the drafting process, so everybody can benefit from the new Constitution. When the new charter comes into force, we will all need to accept the rules and regulations in order to move forward," Prayut said in his weekly TV address, "Return Happiness to People", yesterday.

He said a strong constitution would prevent conflicts in society, because a good constitution prioritises the protection of the people's best interests.

However, he added, the government and the drafting committee will try to get as many sides involved in the drafting process as possible.

As for the reconciliation plan, Prayut pointed out that reconciliation should come from a true democracy, which gives equal rights to every member of society regardless of their ethnicity and religion.

"Democracy does not just involve elections, and it certainly does not mean power for a particular party. Democracy must provide equality and allow every member of society to participate," he said, adding that a true democracy would have laws and regulations that are trustworthy and fair, so every member is willing to accept and abide by the laws.

We need long-lasting reconciliation and must avoid linking it to legal procedures, as these are two different things, he said.

"We cannot use laws as an instrument to hurt our opponents. Our nation is the most important thing at the moment. Court procedures and judicial procedures must be respected and not compromised. I can assure you that the government does not favour any side. If it did, the country would not be able to overcome any setbacks and the people would be the ones to suffer," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said he hoped the new charter would organise the balance of power for all sectors, such as the power between the central government and local, state and civil politics, as well as civil servants and political office holders.

He went on to say that the charter should not be long or go into too many details, but should be short and cover all aspects. The charter also should make provision for the setting up of an organisation to help interpret any legal disputes, he said.

"We don't need a court to do this job [like in the past]. The organisation will interpret or give advice before [disputes] happen," he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Prayut-calls-for-people-centred-effective-charter-30247299.html

-- The Nation 2014-11-08

[NongKhaiKid]

" People centred ' ?

Which people, the chosen people as in chosen by the junta ?

[chainarong]

What this involves is anybody's guess ,you also have to be mindful you are running a country not a charity, so you need to weigh up checks and balances and that can collapse big time or be abused if you set wrong standards, set parameters first then description.

[Tatsujin]

Please, when writing any new laws, charters, constitutions etc ... keeping them short and concise is fine ... but do make sure you remove any loopholes, grey areas or anything "open to interpretation" ... cos those are the areas that consistently cause problems for everyone.

[yellowboat]

More talk. How is the future going to be any different from the past ? The rich will benefit as always.

[mrjohndub]

The charter shouldn't go into 'too many details'...right.

I'd take Kim Jong-un's words more seriously.

[falangjim]

Freedom is only for the rich in Thailand.

[Thanet]

" People centred ' ?

Which people, the chosen people as in chosen by the junta ?

Well observed, and I think that it should read "Good People centred"

"True Democracy" means that the yellow lot get "elected" by "the people". This happens because the "Bad People" are prevented from standing for election through one or another pretext.

[Trouble]

Do these guys have any idea how stupid they sound. ". . .the charter should not be long or go into too many details, but should be short and cover all aspects. Constant double talk is all one hears anymore. Any hope people must have had sure must be gone by now.

[Dogmatix]

One of the main attributes of a people centred, effective charter is that it allows for an unelected PM, as was the case prior to the 1997 constitution.

Good people shouldn't be expected to go around patting babies on the head or promising ruinous popularist schemes. For 8 years Prem did a great job as a PM who was not an MP but was elected by Parliament several times after elections. That mechanism kept the army in its barracks during the 80s (apart from two failed coups by the Young Turks that went unpunished).

Edited November 8, 2014 by Dogmatix

[Lite Beer]

PM cites public voices as main component of charter drafting

BANGKOK, 8 November 2014 (NNT) – As Thailand is in the middle of drafting its new permanent constitution, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted that public participation will be prioritized.

On his weekly TV program, Gen Prayut gave his assurance that the newly-formed Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) would do its best to collect opinions and suggestions from Thai people in every corner of the country for use in the charter drafting process. He hoped that taking all-around public input into account would help avert reoccurrence of national conflicts.

Nonetheless, the premier urged the public not to make assumptions about the new constitution as none of its preliminary content had ever been disclosed.

Meanwhile, as the National Reform Council (NRC) is an agency working hand-in-hand with the CDC, Gen Prayut affirmed the reform panel was reaching out to all sectors for their opinions. He reiterated that although 250 NRC members previously had to be selected out of over 7,000 candidates, those who were not chosen would still be welcome to provide their advice.

-- NNT 2014-11-08

[pisico]

Ever heard the expression that Thais use amongst themselves? Don't Thai to me.

[keith101]

my wife and her family who are devout red shirt supporters now give 100% to Gen Prayut and say he will give Thailand the constitution it needs

[ExPratt]

It seems like they are going to piss ball around for years pretending to create Utopia

[Chang_paarp]

As Thailand is in the middle of drafting its new permanent constitution, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has insisted that public participation will be prioritized.

Who is he kidding, this will the latest constitution in a long line of them. It will last until someone in the future decides it does not suit their agenda at the time.

[AleG]

Do these guys have any idea how stupid they sound. ". . .the charter should not be long or go into too many details, but should be short and cover all aspects. Constant double talk is all one hears anymore. Any hope people must have had sure must be gone by now.

Well gee better tell the US, for example, to dump their constitution because it's stupid to have a short charter, it looks good in practice, but the theory would never work.

[wwest5829]

Freedom is only for the rich in Thailand.

I understand your statement but, in light of the recent elections in my country, I have to ask, where is this any different in many countries?

[Robespiere]

One of the main attributes of a people centred, effective charter is that it allows for an unelected PM, as was the case prior to the 1997 constitution.

Good people shouldn't be expected to go around patting babies on the head or promising ruinous popularist schemes. For 8 years Prem did a great job as a PM who was not an MP but was elected by Parliament several times after elections. That mechanism kept the army in its barracks during the 80s (apart from two failed coups by the Young Turks that went unpunished).

Oh yeah, the good old days.

Military officers and bureaucrats with no accountability to the people.

Prem's 8 years inextricably led to the Black May massacre in 1992

The Prem regime is the role model for many elite political architects. He is a former Army commander who was “invited” by political parties and elected politicians to take the premiership after elections during the 1980s. To that extent, political parties and politicians were only minor parts of the arrangement. They were furniture, rather than the structure of the country’s administration.

Thailand was then mostly run by military officers and bureaucrats. The prime minister had no accountability to the people. His power was supported by the military. Prem faced challenges from young officers and two coup attempts, rather than lawmakers in the House of Representatives. He never gave a damn about the politicians in Parliament. They would create no trouble for his government as long as they were allowed to join the Cabinet.

[heybruce]

"Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday gave guidelines to charter drafters, saying the new constitution should be people-centred, fair, thorough, transparent, and most importantly, effective."

Of course Thais can't have all these things now:

"A few days ago, Prayuth appeared angry when Thais demanded the government increase transparency. He reportedly said, “I beg you not to dig up anything. There is no benefit in so doing....But the media has tried to dig up many issues. So have some politicians. I must say that you cannot do that for the time being.”" http://thediplomat.com/2014/10/thai-junta-beset-by-corruption-scandals/

[baboon]

my wife and her family who are devout red shirt supporters now give 100% to Gen Prayut and say he will give Thailand the constitution it needs

My wife and her family are devout yellows who can't stand the man anymore. Funny old world...

[Robespiere]

my wife and her family who are devout red shirt supporters now give 100% to Gen Prayut and say he will give Thailand the constitution it needs

Guess the Junta won't need issue a summons to boost her understanding then, she's already there.

Another 3 - 4 million converts like this and they may just about work up the courage to hold an election.

Edited November 8, 2014 by Robespiere

[rickirs]

I wonder if the new charter will make it unconstitutional to overthrow the government as did the 2007 constitution. Or will it have an escape clause for the military like the Interim Charter?

[surangw]

that should work people I deal with in asia are already self-centered

[Stone Inscription 1]

People-centred so long as the rural vote and urban votes in favour of the opposition are neutralised. Effective in that the Bangkok elites can continue to rule the country unhindered by inconvenient democratic elections that might see a red-shirt party win.

[Robespiere]

Interesting finish to the article:

The charter also should make provision for the setting up of an organisation to help interpret any legal disputes, he said. "We don't need a court to do this job [like in the past]. The organisation will interpret or give advice before [disputes] happen," he said.

Sounds like he's laying the ground work for the NCPO to become a permanent fixture at the apex of Thai politics.

A (military) organisation that can step it whenever it chooses to enforce whatever it chooses - thus eliminating the need for any future coups.

BTW - "give advice" is a euphemism if ever I've heard one.

[ExPratt]

"Democracy does not just involve elections, and it certainly does not mean power for a particular party. Democracy must provide equality and allow every member of society to participate," he said, adding that a true democracy would have laws and regulations that are trustworthy and fair, so every member is willing to accept and abide by the laws."

Cue , Appointed Senate with Veto powers

[jpeg]

" People centred ' ?

Which people, the chosen people as in chosen by the junta ?

But of course! No one else is allowed. The citizens of this country aren't allowed to discuss politics anyway, so even if they were included, they wouldn't have an informed opinion. 'Informed' being the operative word here.

[heybruce]

my wife and her family who are devout red shirt supporters now give 100% to Gen Prayut and say he will give Thailand the constitution it needs

My wife and her family are devout yellows who can't stand the man anymore. Funny old world...

Perhaps they're devout yellows who believe in democracy. If so, the current situation must be very disturbing for them.