NLA vote paves the way for national referendum on Thai draft constitution

[webfact]

POLITICS
NLA vote green lights charter amendments
NITIPOL KIRAVANICH,
ANAPAT DEECHUAY
THE NATION

Paves the way for national referendum on draft constitution

BANGKOK: -- AMENDMENTS to the interim charter easily sailed through the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) in three consecutive readings yesterday, paving the way for a national referendum on the draft constitution.

The plebiscite is expected to ask voters questions that could result in the current post-coup government remaining in power while national reforms are completed.

After meeting for six hours, the assembly voted 203-0 to pass the amendments with three abstentions.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will submit the amended charter for royal endorsement within 15 days.

The Cabinet did not allow the NLA to change the content of its proposed amendments to the 2014 provisional constitution, so the assembly's members merely voted on whether to support the amendments.

At the meeting, NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai requested the presence of government representatives to observe the meeting and explain the proposals if NLA members had questions. They were Deputy Prime Ministers General Prawit Wongsuwan and Wissanu Krea-ngam and PM's Office Minister Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana.

In the second reading, the proposed amendments were scrutinised article by article. In this stage, NLA members were allowed to ask the government representatives questions.

Regarding an amendment that would allow the NLA to contribute a question in the national referendum, NLA member Wallop Tangkananurak asked if the question could contradict the content and principle of the draft constitution.

"For instance, can we ask if the voters approve of selected senators or not? This contradicts the new constitution draft that states the senators must come from both election and selection," Wallop asked.

He also wondered whether the question could be irrelevant to the new constitution.

NLA member General Somjed Boontanom also asked what would happen if the question was not in accordance with the constitution draft.

Wissanu said that the question for the referendum could not contradict the charter's principles. He explained that holding a national referendum meant all the related agencies agreed with the charter draft.

"By the time we hold a national referendum, it would have passed the scrutiny of related agencies. So the final draft is considered approved by the agencies. It would not be possible for the NLA to contribute a question that contradicts what the constitution suggests," he said.

Wissanu added, however, that it was possible for the question to be unrelated to the content of the draft. For instance, the NLA could ask whether voters agree with the legalisation of casinos in Thailand. But the challenge was that the NLA could ask only one question so the members had to carefully consider this.

NLA member Monthian Buntan wanted to know why the Reform Movement Council was needed to replace the National Reform Council.

Suwaphan said that once NRC members voted on whether to approve the charter draft, their term ended regardless of the outcome of the vote. However, he said that the reform plans needed to be pushed forward so the government would set up a new reform council.

Meanwhile, Borwornsak Uwanno, chief of the Constitution Drafting Committee, said that the amended interim charter did not specify what to do if the CDC's draft constitution failed to pass a national referendum.

Borwornsak believes that the Cabinet and the National Council for Peace and Order would likely seek the amendment of the provisional charter again if that occurred. But he does not think one of the past constitutions would be promulgated, as has been speculated.

Prime Minister Prayut yesterday hit back at the media for interpreting recent remarks by former premier Anand Panyarachun as criticising the government.

Prayut said he phoned Anand and the ex-PM told him that he had merely warned the government that the country was still not totally peaceful.

"We are not 100 per cent democratic now but I will work through a democratic process," the PM said. "Don't forget that you did not elect me. I came here myself. I came to solve all the problems. But people are still not satisfied. It seems Thais are hard to please."

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NLA-vote-green-lights-charter-amendments-30262653.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-19

[tbthailand]

The Cabinet did not allow the NLA to change the content of its proposed amendments to the 2014 provisional constitution, so the assembly's members merely voted on whether to support the amendments.

After meeting for six hours, the assembly voted 203-0 to pass the amendments

we are heading for democracy now!!

[oneday]

What a joke this is. Are these people really educated.

[Praematura]

It won't be beyond the Thais to vote and pass this charter disenfranchising themselves. I hope they are not that <deleted> stupid.

[rubl]

The Cabinet did not allow the NLA to change the content of its proposed amendments to the 2014 provisional constitution, so the assembly's members merely voted on whether to support the amendments.

After meeting for six hours, the assembly voted 203-0 to pass the amendments

we are heading for democracy now!!

Absolutely! The NLA should have been allowed to change the contents of proposed amendment while there were being discussed. If necessary they should have taken more to do some nice phrasing and come together again (and again and again).

It's not as if anyone here is in a hurry

[Srikcir]

"We are not 100 per cent democratic now but I will work through a democratic process,"

True, Thailand is not even 1% democratic but it is 100% undemocratic.

Edited June 19, 2015 by Srikcir