THAI TALK
Why September will be the hottest political month of 2015
Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Politically, September promises to be the hottest month of the year, with all of the most controversial issues being raised, debated and settled one way or the other. Whichever the political direction after that, one thing is certain: It won't be plain sailing for Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The crucial timeline begins this week, when the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) wraps up its final version of the new charter to be submitted to the National Reform Council (NRC), which then has until September 7 to vote Yes or No. Whatever the outcome, the NRC will then automatically be dissolved.

Replacing the NRC will be a 200-member "Steering Committee for National Reform" picked by the Cabinet. Its mission isn't quite clear except that it's supposed to carry on where the NRC has left off. But then, there is no guarantee that the new body is duty-bound to "steer" things towards the implementation of the huge bundle of proposals submitted to the premier last week.

But public attention will be drawn towards a handful of proposals that are bound to stir more controversy and debate:

1. The proposed inclusion of a new clause in the draft constitution to set up a "crisis panel" officially known as the "Strategic Committee for Reform and Reconciliation" with a five-year tenure. This agency, for which there is no precedent, would carry all-embracing powers over and above the executive and legislative branches to intervene in a crisis.

2. A proposal by CDC chief Borwornsak Uwanno and another prominent CDC member, Anek Laothammathat, to add one more question in the upcoming national referendum on the charter draft: Should a national reconciliation government be formed after the election?

3. A proposal from a group of NRC members to put another question in the referendum: What about a two-year reform period before elections?

4. A clause in the charter draft stipulating that a non-MP can become prime minister, albeit with support from a two-thirds majority in the House.

5. A provisional clause in the constitution draft will allow the Cabinet to handpick 123 members of the new Senate to three-year terms, while 77 others will be elected.

Any one of these proposals could spark a political uproar. And, with five major hot potatoes on the plate, the political landscape is set to catch fire. Former premier Thaksin Shinawatra has broken his silence to slam the draft constitution, calling it the "worst in the country's history" and urging his followers to reject it en masse.

Advocates of these recommendations aren't necessarily working to any coordinated plan, but they all justify their "bold proposals" on grounds that a fresh election can be held only if certain measures to prevent violence caused by lingering political conflicts are put in place. Otherwise, another coup could ensue.

Politicians of almost every shade have publicly rejected most, if not all, of the proposed clauses, saying they run counter to basic democratic principles. Critics have denounced them as a thinly veiled attempt to prolong the power of the coup-makers.

Most of these proposals won't get approved, of course. But the fact they have been tabled in public at all is fuelling suspicions that a behind-the-scenes power play has been activated to keep politicians out of politics for as long as possible, even if elections were to be held according to the road map rolled out by the National Council for Peace and Order.

It is also very possible that one or two of these recommendations will slip through - and into a political maelstrom - which means that democracy, Thai style, will have to be redefined yet again. And that will also mean that reform and reconciliation, the two most cited reasons for the May 22 coup, will be flushed down the drain.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Why-September-will-be-the-hottest-political-month--30266999.html


-- The Nation 2015-08-20

worlds ending on Sept 23 apparently... again..... so things had better get a move on.

Edited August 19, 201510 yr by englishoak

Why not one of the proposals be to just call your self a "Monarchy" instead of a Constitutional Monarchy"

Oh wait that already happened long ago. Who needs a Parliament? Just return to Absolute Rule/Monarchy.

Clause one says it all. A 5 year tenure. Alas, our opportunistic fearless leader soldiers on. Roll on recession

On the face of it, it would seem that the strengthening of the elite as the administration of preference is what it's all about , not much in there for the people of Thailand, it's all about me.

On the face of it, it would seem that the strengthening of the elite as the administration of preference is what it's all about , not much in there for the people of Thailand, it's all about me.

Yeah its getting to look more like the Roman Colosseum every day. You all know who is on the menu?

Edited August 20, 201510 yr by elgordo38