NRC members 'free to exercise their judgement'

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NATIONAL REFORM COUNCIL
NRC members 'free to exercise their judgement'
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION

Alongkorn urges reformers not to yield to lobbyists on charter draft

BANGKOK: -- NATIONAL Reform Council members are free to vote according to their own stance on issues, Alongkorn Ponlaboot, secretary of the NRC whip, said yesterday.

Public comments made by some of its members were personal and had no influence on the council. Rather, they had left most reformers "uncomfortable", he said.

The NRC is scheduled to vote on the charter draft early next month and some of its members recently urged other reformers to "shoot down" the draft, which would affect the junta's "road map to democracy".

Alongkorn said the council had recently asked members for their cooperation in considering the stance and image of the NRC, which should not make politically driven moves.

"Any vote can be cast freely by each member. There was no lobbying or petitions as is usual in politics. We've asked several times for cooperation [not to make politically controversial comments]. Most did well accordingly. Only a couple are causing concern to the whip when giving interviews or making any move in public," he told The Nation in an exclusive interview.

"Some members had told me they were uncomfortable with interviews given by some other members [implying they were gathering NRC members to cast the same votes or to launch a petition]. They are their own men and can think for themselves what to do," he said, referring to interviews some reformers had given to the media earlier.

He insisted that the council never prescribed its members to cast votes in any particular way.

"As the secretary to the whip I guarantee that in the past year the way we've been working is not the same as political council whips, which would determine how the votes go. But the NRC is not a political council," he said, adding that the NRC whip was only the facilitator and never assigned members on how to vote.

Alongkorn stressed that the NRC had no hidden agenda and followed the "road map" strictly and hoped the guide to democracy would go in accordance with the interim charter so that the country could step steadily into the future.

He said further that the NRC has no power "to limit its members' rights and freedoms, and never thought of doing so. Rather, the council has always respected its members. I hope [those making comments affecting the council's image] would respect the other some 200 members as well."

However, he also said that although the council could not prohibit reformers from discussing issues or talking to one another, he asked that they understood the stance, duty, and responsibility of the NRC. Its role was to work for the country, not for the military's ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the current government, or any other political groups.

Apart from that, the secretary whip also revealed that reformers would establish an "NRC 2014 club" to publicise its work and hold activities promoting knowledge about the reforms when they had completed their tasks on the new charter. The plan was that Bt2,500 would be taken from the last paycheque of each NRC member for the organisation of such an NRC alumni club, he said.

Meanwhile, NRC members yesterday were urged to exercise their judgement without being influenced by lobbying over whether to pass the charter draft.

NRC member Thiti Vuttikovit took to the floor during a meeting presided over by deputy chairman Tassana Boontong. Thiti told her colleagues that they had rights and the liberty to vote on the charter and should not allow anyone to persuade them to vote as others desire.

"This charter belongs to Thailand. We must not take the path of any [other] country. It is best we live a Thai life. It is not necessary to cause a miscarriage of this draft in order to give birth to a new charter. It is a waste of time," she said.

NRC member Boonlert Kachayudhadej said he would like the council to set a fixed date in September to vote on the charter, including a vote on what questions to be posed in a referendum.

Another member, Jit Sriyoha Mukdatanapong, dismissed allegations that some politicians lobbied provincial NRC members to vote for the draft and accept the charter in the referendum in order to pave the way for a general election.

Member Wanchai Sornsiri, who levelled the allegation, insisted that four NRC members had told him about the lobbying movement in the provinces but they refused to be named.

Meanwhile Pheu Thai Party caretaker spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard criticised some NRC members, saying they were "struggling" to help the junta stay in power as long as possible instead of reforming the country, their major responsibility.

"They are trying to create a political vacuum so a general election cannot be held. They want to freeze or shut down the country to destroy the political rivalry of the political camp of the People's Democratic Reform Committee,'' he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NRC-members-free-to-exercise-their-judgement-30265918.html

-- The Nation 2015-08-05