Reform council not ordered to reject draft: Prawit

[Lite Beer]

Reform council not ordered to reject draft: Prawit
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- DEPUTY Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan denied yesterday that the junta-appointed National Reform Council had been ordered to reject the draft charter so that the drafting process starts anew and the government gains more time in power.

The denial came as some NRC members began making the accusation and others claimed some NRC members were primarily interested in making themselves famous.

Prawit said NRC members were well-known and honourable people who could not be ordered around. He said the government led by General Prayut Chan-o-cha was sincere and the time frame on how much longer it would stay on would be in line with the provisional charter.

Coup rumours denied

Prawit denied the situation was getting chaotic and that eventually the National Council for Peace and Order would stage another coup to earn a clean slate, as happened during the time of Field Marshal Sarit Thanarat.

Meanwhile, NRC member Wanchai Sornsiri believes an amendment of the provisional charter to abolish the NRC is aimed at getting the reformers to reject the draft charter so the drafting process will start again.

Wanchai also believes the powers that be were not satisfied with the NRC's performance and the dissolution of the NRC whether it endorses or rejects the draft charter would allow members to make a more independent vote.

He said a number of NRC members were unhappy with a few articles in the draft charter and were probably going to call for it to be rejected. The likelihood of the draft charter being rejected by the NRC is high, he said, because its calls for the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) to amend contentious points were mostly ignored. But he said it was impossible for the CDC to amend all the points, which amounted to around 100 provisions.

Wanchai also said that if the draft charter went to a national referendum there would be a lot of political moves and debate, and the political situation, which is not adequately calm, would be stirred up again. If the draft charter happened to be approved in a referendum, it would be countdown time for the Prayut administration.

In a related development, former deputy prime minister Chaturon Chaisang posted on Facebook yesterday an amendment of the provisional charter to allow for an open-ended road map for the military junta to stay on in power.

"The road map is not static and it can be altered indefinitely," wrote Chaturon. "Given the situation, we can't expect much from the referendum."

Meanwhile, NRC member Amorn Vanichwiwat said he also believed that the National Reform Council would reject the draft charter.

Amorn said some NRC members merely wanted to become famous and dramatise things via appearances on television while others spoke in parliament as if they were politicians representing constituencies.

He said many NRC members were elderly - in their 60s - despite the regulation allowing NRC members to be as young as 35, and their health problems might also be affecting the council's performance.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Reform-council-not-ordered-to-reject-draft-Prawit-30262265.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-13

[Bannum opinions]

All of this reminds me of a "tempest in a teapot"

Although in this instance it is a bunch of anti-democrats churning amongst themselves.

" Wanchai also said that if the draft charter went to a national referendum there would be a lot of political moves and debate, and the political situation, which is not adequately calm, would be stirred up again"

There you have it. A referendum without debate.

Showing their true colors again. Suggesting poilitical moves, debate and political calmness are tantamount to bad things..To them, debate is conflict.....Anti-democrat allegiance to Democracy goes only so far...It is Ok when they win elections....They are so arrogantly fixated on their own superiority, that any semblance of alternative views or debate simply disturbs "their calmness"

And these are the dolts who will arrange and conduct a referendum on their political musings legitimized in a Constitution.

Good luck with that.

[oneday]

555

OMG, what a pathetic joke this all is.

[RustBucket]

Prepare for the Junta to be in power for many years to come.

I have already resigned myself to that fact and the Thai people should do the same.

[Srikcir]

Under Article 44 of the Interim Charter General Prayut can make any order he wants with the force of law. Clearly he is now at a decision point about the draft 2015 constitution. Some of his options:

- allow limited amendments on a case-by-case basis that don't defeat the NCPO's agenda

- restart the whole draft process by new appointments to the NRA and CDC

- delay the draft process until the public is more compliant to accept with no amendments

- bypass any referendum and draft amendments to have the constitution endorsed and enacted into law

The last option was used with the Junta-drafted 1997 Constitution that held up until the 2006 military coup that abolished it. Which option Prayut will exercise in 2015 will be determined by the extent that he believes the majority of the Thai people will protect their sovereignty and the extent that the minority will protect their control over the majority .

The military has followed history in all its coups and retention of its dominance over the Thai majority. As such I expect General Prayut will concede some minor alterations to the draft and proceed with endorsement without a referendum. The NLA will approve the 2015 endorsed constitution by 95%.

Prayut's Roadmap to Democracy - End of a Fair Tale

[pinkpanther99]

How is another military coup at this stage even possible. Wouldn't that just be the military replacing the military? How does that even work?

Agree with the comments about the military being in power for a long time to come.

There wont be elections here for years yet.

[Thailand]

I believe everything they say.

And as for a coup within this coup I would guess that is running at about 50-50 within the next six months.

[greenchair]

It's all thaksins fault.

[lucky11]

Prepare for the Junta to be in power for many years to come.

I have already resigned myself to that fact and the Thai people should do the same.

I pray to Buddha that they stay in power for a lot longer as they are doing such a fine job in sorting Thailand out!!