SURVEY
New drafters if charter jilted: poll
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- NETIZENS WANT a new charter draft committee elected if the referendum on new charter draft is voted down, a survey conducted by the Prachamati.org website revealed yesterday.

After the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) recently agreed in principle to hold national referendum on the charter draft, the obvious question that emerged is this: What would happen if the constitution is not accepted by the people?

To hold a national referendum, the NCPO and the Cabinet would have to request the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) amend the 2014 Provisional Constitution by inserting the allowance to hold a referendum in the interim charter.

If the new constitution were not approved by the public, both the Constitution Drafting Committee and the National Reform Council would be dissolved and a new team of charter drafters would be set up.

Prachamati asked netizens to vote via its website on what they wanted to see happen if the charter were voted down.

Most would want a new drafting committee set up through an election - 1,023 votes for this method and 148 against.

Respondents were also asked if they would want the NCPO to set up a new charter drafting committee, with 949 saying no and 151 saying yes. Asked if they would want to see the 1997 Constitution modified and enforced again, 962 said yes and 178 said no.

When asked if they would want the 2007 Constitution enforced again, 845 said no and 212 said yes.

As for the NLA drafting the charter in the advent of a referendum no-confidence vote, 909 people would not want to see that against 139 who would.

Prachamati yesterday held a forum on the topic of "How to hold a referendum without making it a waste" at a hotel in Bangkok.

The Union for Civil Liberty chairman Jaturong Boonyarattanasoontorn voiced support for the national referendum, reasoning that the new charter had many articles relating with democracy.

He predicted a referendum would be carried out, but he wanted the CDC to amend the article on the source of the Senate.

Assist Prof Prapart Pintobtang, of the Political Science Faculty at Chulalongkorn University, suggested there should be more opportunities for the public to debate the constitution such as through public hearings, and the NCPO laws that suppress political expression should be eliminated.

"If we want to create a true democracy we must promote such a process, unless we do not want a democratic society," political scientist added.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/New-drafters-if-charter-jilted-poll-30261830.html


-- The Nation 2015-06-08

Reality check, 69 million Thais, 1,173 respondents to a poll on a website that you have to self refer.