Next senators to be indirectly elected from 20 professional groups

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Next senators to be indirectly elected from 20 professional groups

BANGKOK:-- The new batch of 200 senators will be indirectly elected from 20 professional groups and their term in office is five years in accordance with the draft constitution.

Spokesman of the Constitution Drafting Committee Mr Udom Ratth-amarit said Wednesday that the 20 professional groups are: 1. Management, security and foreign affairs; 2. Legal affairs; 3. Accounting and finance; 4. Education and research; 5. Public health; 6. Science and technology; 7. Religious affairs, arts, cultural affairs, sports and literature; 8. Agriculture and forestry; 9. Animal husbandry and fishery; 10. Employee and employer associations.

11. consumers protection and media; 12. Trading and banking; 13. Industries; 14. Professions; 15. Environment, town planning and real estate development; 16. Natural resources and energy; 17. Community organisations; 18. Elderly people, disabled people, the under-privileged and women; 19. independent professions; and 20. Civic groups.

Parents, children and spouses of MPs will not be barred from being senators. Senators will have to take a five-year break before they can be named cabinet ministers or to become MPs.

However, Mr Udom said that the CDC had not decided whether the five-year break provision would be applied to members of the National Legislative Assembly and the National Reform Assembly.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/next-senators-to-be-indirectly-elected-from-20-professional-groups

-- Thai PBS 2015-12-24

[Mango Bob]

Reading this i believe this draft constitution will not be accept by the people and back to square one again.

[Somtamnication]

There you go, keep the rest of the 99% with their heads low. Nothing new in Thailand. Next!

[LannaGuy]

'indirectly elected' means what? and as for coming from 'professional groups' how elitist is that???

[apetley]

Why not just put a sign on the door to the Senate.......'No Riff Raff'.

[arthurboy]

This is truly meaningful. This lot - and any previous lot for that matter - really don't think the plebs are worthy of much.

[smedly]

great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats and not a crowd of bought cheats and liars who tell certain members to go as there will be no vote then take a vote in the middle of the night, people should be in jail for that one

[LannaGuy]

great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats and not a crowd of bought cheats and liars who tell certain members to go as there will be no vote then take a vote in the middle of the night, people should be in jail for that one

yes lawyers... real estate agents... bankers... people of REAL integrity

[phoenixdoglover]

Indirectly elected. Indirectly elected. Indirectly elected.

Repeat it often enough and you might think the Hi-So-Sen will be elected rather than selected.

[ikke]

If so, they better put a max age on it, I would say not older than 50.

[MZurf]

great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats and not a crowd of bought cheats and liars who tell certain members to go as there will be no vote then take a vote in the middle of the night, people should be in jail for that one

"great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats..."

Thanks for making my Christmas merry!!

[smedly]

great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats and not a crowd of bought cheats and liars who tell certain members to go as there will be no vote then take a vote in the middle of the night, people should be in jail for that one

"great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats..."

Thanks for making my Christmas merry!!

I am absolutely certain it is something you could never achieve on your own

Have a Merry Indirect Christmas lol

[MZurf]

great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats and not a crowd of bought cheats and liars who tell certain members to go as there will be no vote then take a vote in the middle of the night, people should be in jail for that one

"great idea, at least now we will have people of integrety taking up these seats..."

Thanks for making my Christmas merry!!

I am absolutely certain it is something you could never achieve on your own

Have a Merry Indirect Christmas lol

Don't know what an " Indirect Christmas" is but have a wonderful Christmas in la-la land!

PS. Hope there's snow there!

[Silurian]

There never seems to be a really good way to form a government. You look around the world and see which government runs their country the best. It is really hard to say. Some people like Republics, some people like Democracy and others some other various form. You don't really see a Technocracy like they seem to propose here. Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work.

I really doubt there is one "best" solution for running a government. It really depends on the culture and characteristics of the people. Since most countries (including Thailand) are fairly diverse and have many levels of society, the idea of one type of government suits all just doesn't work. There will always be dissent and conflict. It is easy to tear down any proposed government solution. It is almost impossible to propose one that suits all.

[oneday]

'indirectly elected' means what? and as for coming from 'professional groups' how elitist is that???

Exactly. If "indirectly elected" means being hand-picked by certain people in power then who picks the pickers. This is not even close to Democracy. To me it seems to be a slimy back-handed way for the power elite to get those in office favorable to the power elite and to exclude rural Thailand as much as possible.

Edited December 24, 2015 by oneday

[MZurf]

There never seems to be a really good way to form a government. You look around the world and see which government runs their country the best. It is really hard to say. Some people like Republics, some people like Democracy and others some other various form. You don't really see a Technocracy like they seem to propose here. Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work.

I really doubt there is one "best" solution for running a government. It really depends on the culture and characteristics of the people. Since most countries (including Thailand) are fairly diverse and have many levels of society, the idea of one type of government suits all just doesn't work. There will always be dissent and conflict. It is easy to tear down any proposed government solution. It is almost impossible to propose one that suits all.

"Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work."

For that to work you need good, clean (corruption wise) and altruistic people in power and that's not going to happen in Thailand anytime soon.

[JAG]

There never seems to be a really good way to form a government. You look around the world and see which government runs their country the best. It is really hard to say. Some people like Republics, some people like Democracy and others some other various form. You don't really see a Technocracy like they seem to propose here. Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work.

I really doubt there is one "best" solution for running a government. It really depends on the culture and characteristics of the people. Since most countries (including Thailand) are fairly diverse and have many levels of society, the idea of one type of government suits all just doesn't work. There will always be dissent and conflict. It is easy to tear down any proposed government solution. It is almost impossible to propose one that suits all.

Let the people choose their government. Simple.

[buk buk macaw]

from 20 professional groups:Elderly people, disabled people, the under-privileged and women

Just about as professional as they come.

Edited December 24, 2015 by buk buk macaw

[bangrak]

Let's make a deal about the Senators: none elected, and none from police or military, OK with that?

Edited December 24, 2015 by bangrak

[bangrak]

One, big, shock to me seeing group 18, the women with the elderly, disabled and under-privileged... Meaning all of those have no access to the 19 other categories for a seat in Senate, or what?

[robertson468]

'indirectly elected' means what? and as for coming from 'professional groups' how elitist is that???

About the same as UK where the Upper House consists of Lords and Ladies, so how elitist is that???

[NCC1701A]

I want to be indirectly elected.

[lvr181]

Lets keep "protecting" the privileges and power of the elitists!

Along with the military always hovering (with powers of legitimate intervention, in the back ground of any new constitution) the leopard has merely shifted its spots! But still the same leopard and probably another 83 years of ongoing coups. The more changes are considered the less changes actually happen.

[smedly]

Lets keep "protecting" the privileges and power of the elitists!

Along with the military always hovering (with powers of legitimate intervention, in the back ground of any new constitution) the leopard has merely shifted its spots! But still the same leopard and probably another 83 years of ongoing coups. The more changes are considered the less changes actually happen.

sure lets lock them all up and see where this 3rd world country goes from there

Thailand needs to lose the protectionist inferior complex and then maybe they might just join the real world, as it is they have nothing only a simplistic belief mentality that is not realistic - has not matured as it should have, childish greed and short sight rules this country, they have done nothing on their own - show me something that Thailand has designed and put into production ........nothing, and yet they think talk and believe they are the hub of something - they are the hub of delusional people that completely rely on foreigners for everything....................waken up

yes the elite or as I would say the people that are keeping this country afloat, without them there is nothing only rice

Edited December 24, 2015 by smedly

[Eric Loh]

Isn't this a PDRC proposal? No uneducated and buffaloes in the future of Thailand even if they are the majority. Only the small minority of professionals have roles in the country destiny.

[lvr181]

'indirectly elected' means what? and as for coming from 'professional groups' how elitist is that???

About the same as UK where the Upper House consists of Lords and Ladies, so how elitist is that???

But what powers does the Upper House have? Or is it a "rubber stamp"?

[phoenixdoglover]

'indirectly elected' means what? and as for coming from 'professional groups' how elitist is that???

About the same as UK where the Upper House consists of Lords and Ladies, so how elitist is that???

But what powers does the Upper House have? Or is it a "rubber stamp"?

Regarding comparisons of the upper houses in Thailand and the UK...

UK:

"In comparison with the House of Commons, the House of Lords powers are restricted. Their political clout is owed more to convention and tradition. The House has no influence on any bills relating to government finance and although it has the authority to stall any acts of parliament for up to a year, the Commons can cite the Parliament Act 1949 – an act introduced by Labour that effectively removed the delaying privileges of the Lords – to swiftly defeat any motion."

http://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/administrative-law/house-of-lords-role-and-powers-administrative-law-essay.php#ixzz3vIKh4dV0

Thailand:

Who knows? The CDC has been mumbling a lot when it comes to describing the role of the Senate.

In the last draft, the Senate had powers of impeachment, appointment approvals for some positions, establishing their own rules of ethics and procedure, and in joint with the lower House - approval of a Regent, approval or acknowledgement of a Monarch, consideration or reconsideration of an organic law, approval of a law or amendment of the Constitution, approval of national policy and strategy, approval of declaration of war, approval of treaties. All told, in legislative matters the lower and upper houses were to be co-equals, except the lower House could override objections of the Senate under specific conditions.

However, it appears the CDC may be scaling back the Senate powers in the current draft...time will tell.

Edited December 25, 2015 by phoenixdoglover

[halloween]

"Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work."

For that to work you need good, clean (corruption wise) and altruistic people in power and that's not going to happen in Thailand anytime soon.

Is it more likely to happen with elected MPs paid to be members of a political party, with a PM and a party list appointed due to the votes they bring?

Edited December 25, 2015 by halloween

[MZurf]

"Maybe it is time to see if a Technocratic government would work."

For that to work you need good, clean (corruption wise) and altruistic people in power and that's not going to happen in Thailand anytime soon.

Is it more likely to happen with elected MPs paid to be members of a political party, with a PM and a party list appointed due to the votes they bring?

As many of us have pointed out repeatedly; when the people decide who should be in power and there is a high degree of freedom of expression at least there is a chance for Thai politics to evolve into something more positive than what's been the case for the last 80+ years. With the constant interference of the military there is absolutely NO chance that will happen.

Do try to pay attention, halloween.

[dominique355]

What "indirect election" actually means is No Election.

Is that democracy?