NEW CHARTER
Charter can gain public support without help: Meechai
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- CONSTITUTION Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchupan declined to confirm yesterday whether the new charter draft would be cleared by a super-body helping the country’s transitional period.

But said he believed the draft would pass a national referendum, because the body has always heeded the people's voice through opinion polls. He said the CDC, which has yet to discuss a body to assist the transition, had learned from history. "It was rejected, wasn't it?" he said, referring to the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee.

He said the CDC had always surveyed the public's opinion on sensitive and important issues, in collaboration with educational institutes such as the National Institute of Development Adminis-tration. Among these issues was whether a non-MP could be premier and different electoral systems.

"We only proceeded writing the charter after the polls had been conducted," he said, adding that he believed people understood and would accept the charter.

Still, the head drafter conceded there were points that politicians oppose, notably those that affected their interests. This, he said, could impact how voters will vote in the referendum, but believed most voters would understand.

He said during their retreat in Cha-am next month, the drafters might release details each day on articles in the new draft resolved at the meeting, in order to let the public know before the first draft is published on January 29.

With time flying and the deadline for constitution writing approaching, Meechai said yesterday that politics would be more natural, with more mechanisms to counter graft and fewer corrupt politicians. Political mechanisms would be more in line with the Thai context, he said.

The CDC chairman was firm that there would be no attempt to block out any particular party for fear it may dominate politics. He said he welcomed anyone to politics, as long as they were honest.

Meanwhile, Prapan Naikovit, chairman of the CDC's subcommittee studying legislative systems, reiterated that senators would be indirectly elected after being classified in 20 social groups, including professional guilds like farmers and labourers. The election would be done in three levels - district, provincial, and national. The representative from each group would be elected by the 19 others to prevent bloc voting, he said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/Charter-can-gain-public-support-without-help-Meech-30275403.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-22

"...But said he believed the draft would pass a national referendum, because the body has always heeded the people's voice through opinion polls..."

It will NEVER pass a referendum, because they ARE NOT listening to ALL the people.

"Political mechanisms would be more in line with the Thai context"

And that would be the minority autocracy in control of the nation.

So in case the majority forgot their proper position in Thai society.