Vote on new charter likely in February; govt in office till early 2017: NLA deputy chief

[Lite Beer]

REFERENDUM
Vote on new charter likely in February; govt in office till early 2017: NLA deputy chief
THE SUNDAY NATION

THE referendum on the draft charter is likely to take place in February next year - not January, as previous stated - and the government of General Prayut Chan-o-cha is likely to stay in power until at least early 2017, Peerasak Porchit, vice president of the National Legislative Assembly, said yesterday.

Peerasak said the Constitution Drafting Committee would finish revising the charter draft in August and the printing of a massive number of draft charters would have to wait until the National Reform Council approved the document in early September.

That means it will take more time to amass enough paper to print copies of the draft charter for each of the 24 million households in Thailand, he said.

He predicted that February 6 would be the earliest possible date for the referendum.

And if the charter is approved, elections could be organised between October and November next year and the NLA would still be around to pass the national budget for 2017.

Peerasak praised the Prayut administration for cracking down on so-called "grey businesses" - the buying of products in a foreign country and selling them more cheaply than the manufacturer's usual distribution system - and said NLA members were gauging the public's mood by going upcountry.

He spoke while visiting Loei.

In a related development, NRC member Direk Thuenfang, deputy chair of the NRC's political reform panel, said there should be only one question in the referendum - do you accept or reject the draft charter? - as more questions would confuse the public and go against the principles of a referendum.

Meanwhile, CDC spokesman General Lertrat Ratanavanich said revision of the draft charter was 80 per cent done. He said charter drafters had decided to do away with the open-list party-list system that involved the public determining their own candidates, as the proposal was controversial, confusing and required much time and money.

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Vote-on-new-charter-likely-in-February;-govt-in-of-30262745.html

-- The Nation 2015-06-21

[noitom]

The Thai leadership is afraid to let its people vote freely.

[smedly]

nope, there are just too many involved in office that like to be seen and heard making statements, one of the big problems here that has existed for a very long time, the government should have an official press office and nobody else should be allowed to make announcements or voice statements or opinions (as officials) to the media without prior approval

Tomorrow we will hear something completely different

[NCFC]

They are going to print and distribute the charter to every household in the country??? At what cost may we ask? Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

[Orac]

Not having enough paper has got to be the weakest excuse yet for delaying elections and these unelected bureaucrats keeping their jobs.

[Solomon]

The longer the unwanted stay, the greater the build up of contempt for them will be resulting in a far more brutal removal of the unwanted by the people than needs to be the case.

Better to not mount this tiger.

[JOC]

>>That means it will take more time to amass enough paper to print copies of the draft charter for each of the 24 million households in Thailand, he said.<< Quote

So the lack of paper is delaying democracy.................

[JOC]

>>And if the charter is approved, elections could be organised between October and November next year and the NLA would still be around to pass the national budget for 2017.<< Quote

Surely a pure coincidence......................

Last chance to get their noses in the trough!!

[rubl]

They are going to print and distribute the charter to every household in the country??? At what cost may we ask? Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

Like in the Western World governments still have the duty to provide information to their citizens via almost any channel available, in parallel simultaneously. Not everyone is familiar with all of those channel or even has access. Here in Thailand it's not really different. Still some villages without reliable electricity provisions, still some households without computers.

BTW did you ever try to read a 300 odd page document on your mobile, even with a 5" or 6" screen?

Edited June 21, 2015 by rubl

[Bannum opinions]

"...... there should be only one question in the referendum - do you accept or reject the draft charter?"

The far more significant factor than the question, is who will fill the information void leading up to this referendum. The main charge against this Charter is that it is undemocratic...A logical conclusion considering its authorship.....But will those people also self-servingly fill the compliant media with their advocacy of their charter, to the exclusion of others?...Remember, it is these people who consider 'debate' to be 'conflict'.....They feel that opposing views disturb their "calmness" as one of them said recently.....

"The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance"

Isn't this called 'gerrymandering' in mature Democracies.....Gerrymandering being defined as:

"The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while

concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

In other words, diddling with electoral processes in some form-or-other, to advantage a particular side....In this instance it isn't rocket science to speculate who will be advantaged given the source of the quote above.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Bannum opinions

[rubl]

The longer the unwanted stay, the greater the build up of contempt for them will be resulting in a far more brutal removal of the unwanted by the people than needs to be the case.

Better to not mount this tiger.

How much less brutal would the 'brutal removal' be with less delay? Are you suggesting violence?

[chainarong]

nope, there are just too many involved in office that like to be seen and heard making statements, one of the big problems here that has existed for a very long time, the government should have an official press office and nobody else should be allowed to make announcements or voice statements or opinions (as officials) to the media without prior approval

Tomorrow we will hear something completely different

The RTP department are the worst for media information and have been since inception , it constantly changes by the hour when a murder has happened, like the senior commander in that case against the Burmese boys, the DNA say's the suspects are not Asian, then they arrest the two Burmese.

[chainarong]

As there are other issues in the background , one didn't have to have magic lantern to predict this out come, I'd go as far as to predict , late 2017.

Edited June 21, 2015 by chainarong

[greenchair]

So why do I see the big sign on the Friday night brain wash talk.

Ncpo 2015-2020

[apetley]

Can't they use article 44 to get the charter printed on all rolls of toilet paper? That way the entire population can peruse the details at leisure.

[phoenixdoglover]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

[JAG]

The longer the unwanted stay, the greater the build up of contempt for them will be resulting in a far more brutal removal of the unwanted by the people than needs to be the case.

Better to not mount this tiger.

They are already on it, and those who can't fit on its back are hanging on to its tail!

[rubl]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

Mind you, whenever I mention "proportional representation" I'm being attacked and ridiculed by a few members here

[phoenixdoglover]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

...

Mind you, whenever I mention "proportional representation" I'm being attacked and ridiculed by a few members here

Population, roughly

Thailand 65 million

Bangkok City 8 million

Bangkok Metro Region 14 million

[rubl]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

...

Mind you, whenever I mention "proportional representation" I'm being attacked and ridiculed by a few members here

Population, roughly

Thailand 65 million

Bangkok City 8 million

Bangkok Metro Region 14 million

The map without proper explanation doesn't mean much. This article is clearer

"Nationally and on average, Pheu Thai’s seat share advantage due to disproportionality was around 11 percentage points. It is not surprising then, that adopting a more proportional electoral system improves the Democrat Party’s prospects vis-à-vis Pheu Thai."

http://www.thaidatapoints.com/project-updates/theimplicationsofmmpforthailandbyallenhickenandbangkokpundit

BTW With Bangkok having about 4 million voters (I think to remember from the last governor elections) that would mean lots of the other Bangkokkians 'go home' to vote ?

Edited June 21, 2015 by rubl

[Anon999]

"...... there should be only one question in the referendum - do you accept or reject the draft charter?"

The far more significant factor than the question, is who will fill the information void leading up to this referendum. The main charge against this Charter is that it is undemocratic...A logical conclusion considering its authorship.....But will those people also self-servingly fill the compliant media with their advocacy of their charter, to the exclusion of others?...Remember, it is these people who consider 'debate' to be 'conflict'.....They feel that opposing views disturb their "calmness" as one of them said recently.....

"The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance"

Isn't this called 'gerrymandering' in mature Democracies.....Gerrymandering being defined as:

"The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while

concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

In other words, diddling with electoral processes in some form-or-other, to advantage a particular side....In this instance it isn't rocket science to speculate who will be advantaged given the source of the quote above.

Electoral boundaries have changed many times in the UK and will continue to do so and it is not considered as gerrymandering. So what's new about that?

[Fat Haggis]

They are going to print and distribute the charter to every household in the country??? At what cost may we ask? Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

Like in the Western World governments still have the duty to provide information to their citizens via almost any channel available, in parallel simultaneously. Not everyone is familiar with all of those channel or even has access. Here in Thailand it's not really different. Still some villages without reliable electricity provisions, still some households without computers.

BTW did you ever try to read a 300 odd page document on your mobile, even with a 5" or 6" screen?

You mean like reading TVF daily on your smart phone?

Doesn't seem to be an issue for people on their iPads and smartphones here, why should it be any different for Thais?

[Gunna]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

I see the proposed map is based on where the proportion of taxes are paid

[FangFerang]

There are, strangely, no matches between the number printed and the registered voters. Maybe some "areas needing attitude adjustment" will get a few less than they need?

[phoenixdoglover]

The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance.

Here's the map that goes with that idea.

I see the proposed map is based on where the proportion of taxes are paid

I think the vote should be restricted to "the landed gentry".

Give peasants the vote? Outlandish!

[JOC]

They are going to print and distribute the charter to every household in the country??? At what cost may we ask? Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

Like in the Western World governments still have the duty to provide information to their citizens via almost any channel available, in parallel simultaneously. Not everyone is familiar with all of those channel or even has access. Here in Thailand it's not really different. Still some villages without reliable electricity provisions, still some households without computers.

BTW did you ever try to read a 300 odd page document on your mobile, even with a 5" or 6" screen?

You mean like reading TVF daily on your smart phone?

Doesn't seem to be an issue for people on their iPads and smartphones here, why should it be any different for Thais?

Never considered that not all Thais have a Smart-phone??

List of countries by smartphone penetration 38 Thailand 31.0%

[Fat Haggis]

They are going to print and distribute the charter to every household in the country??? At what cost may we ask? Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

Like in the Western World governments still have the duty to provide information to their citizens via almost any channel available, in parallel simultaneously. Not everyone is familiar with all of those channel or even has access. Here in Thailand it's not really different. Still some villages without reliable electricity provisions, still some households without computers.

BTW did you ever try to read a 300 odd page document on your mobile, even with a 5" or 6" screen?

You mean like reading TVF daily on your smart phone?

Doesn't seem to be an issue for people on their iPads and smartphones here, why should it be any different for Thais?

Never considered that not all Thais have a Smart-phone??

List of countries by smartphone penetration38 Thailand 31.0%

Sure I've considered it, my point was that Thais don't need to worry for those who have smartphones about having to read 300 pages worth on a phone!!!

Did I quote any numbers? Did I intimate that all Thais have smartphones either?

I clearly said that reading TVF on an Ipad or a smart phone should be no different for Thais reading stuff of their smart phones.

You know, the ones who have NO problems posting on facebook, line, skype etc.

Rubl asked" have you ever tried reading a 300 page document on a 6" screen" ?.. well yes, I have kindle on my iphone, so I've read stacks of books on small screens, and the point I was trying to make was that if I can do it, so can anyone else...including Thais with smart phones.

The point about the internet, was that those who can read the new constitution online have that option.

I really fail to see what point your trying to make?

[metisdead]

An inflammatory post has been removed.

[Bannum opinions]

"...... there should be only one question in the referendum - do you accept or reject the draft charter?"

The far more significant factor than the question, is who will fill the information void leading up to this referendum. The main charge against this Charter is that it is undemocratic...A logical conclusion considering its authorship.....But will those people also self-servingly fill the compliant media with their advocacy of their charter, to the exclusion of others?...Remember, it is these people who consider 'debate' to be 'conflict'.....They feel that opposing views disturb their "calmness" as one of them said recently.....

"The CDC, he said, would revamp the six electoral regions in order to create a greater level playing field between big and small political parties. This was in line with the CDC's aim to ensure a political balance"

Isn't this called 'gerrymandering' in mature Democracies.....Gerrymandering being defined as:

"The dividing of a state, county, etc., into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while

concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

In other words, diddling with electoral processes in some form-or-other, to advantage a particular side....In this instance it isn't rocket science to speculate who will be advantaged given the source of the quote above.

Electoral boundaries have changed many times in the UK and will continue to do so and it is not considered as gerrymandering. So what's new about that?

What is new, is who is doing the fiddling with election processes, including boundaries. Why were changes necessary?......This was done unilaterally with no political inclusiveness...Anytime that happens, count your fingers when shaking their hand, so to speak. Who is doing this and why?....I may have no problem with it if done with inclusiveness. But otherwise, am suspicious to the extreme......So that is what is new......Until there is an inclusive approach, it is 'gerrymandering' when done by one side of the political divide.

It is naivete to accept what anti-democrats do at face value...Like I said, it is prudent for Democracy advocates to continually "count their fingers"

Edited June 22, 2015 by Bannum opinions