Thai NLA takes exception to senators being shorn of the right to impeach lawmakers

[webfact]

NLA takes exception to senators being shorn of the right to impeach lawmakers
KASAMAKORN CHANWANPEN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- THE National Legislative Assembly (NLA)’s constitutional study panel yesterday submitted its opinions on the draft charter to the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) for consideration, the panel’s chairman Surachai Liengboonlertchai said.

Received by CDC chief Meechai Ruchupan, the report contains four critical points. One concerns the crisis panel while the rest focus on the origin of members of House of Representatives, senators, and the prime minister.

The opinions of Assembly lawmakers mostly aligned with the CDC's decisions on the draft. However, among the disagreements was one over the Senate.

Charter drafters have reiterated that senators under the new constitution would not have impeachment authority, but the panel led by Surachai proposed that such power should remain.

Surachai said that CDC may have a different perspective, but the NLA's viewpoints were based on information it had collected since the previous charter drafting committee chaired by Borwornsak Uwanno.

"It does not matter even if the CDC and the NLA have some contradictory views. This happens in a democratic society; both bodies will still listen to each other and consider one another's opinions," Surachai said.

He added that after the first draft is released on January 29, the NLA will still have time give further comments on the charter.

Any points proposed and already agreed upon by the CDC would be considered as resolved, but those left unresolved would be revised again by the NLA.

Though the CDC and NLA differ on certain points, they both share the job of delivering the best charter, he said, adding that despite differences, both share similar views on other points, like having 500 MPs, 350 of them constituency-based and the rest party-list MPs.

According to the report submitted yesterday, lawmakers have no problem with having a premier from outside Parliament or with the creation of a crisis panel, but both should be accepted by the public.

In a related development, CDC spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni yesterday revealed that charter writing had proceeded to cover voter eligibility. The CDC subcommittee studying legislative structures has proposed that people aged 18 and above on the day of election will be considered eligible voters. This differs from the previous system, under which an eligible voter would have had to turn 18 before January 1 of the election year.

Norachit said that drafters wished to give young people the right to exercise their voting rights, unlike in the old system which excluded them. Under the new system, the number of eligible voters is expected to rise by hundreds of thousands, he said.

Norachit added that the CDC has already discussed the matter with the Election Commission (EC), which said implementation should not be a problem. He said the EC would now consult with the Interior Ministry with regards to demographic information in support of listing eligible voters.

"The practice is feasible. Everything is computerised nowadays," he pointed out.

The charter drafters also worked on reform-related matters, Norachit said.

In terms of education, they resolved that a national education plan should be created along with relevant laws to ensure the plan is followed. Norachit said the plan would also include how budgets are spent, to ensure efficiency. It would also aid students discipline and help them study routines to which they are most suited, he added.

The drafters are also deliberating on approaches to reform law enforcement, Norachit said, adding that everybody had the right to justice.

Drafters are also working on adjusting qualifications of civil-service candidates in a bid to eradicate nepotism and put in place procedures that guarantee fair promotion, the spokesman said.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/politics/NLA-takes-exception-to-senators-being-shorn-of-the-30275842.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-29

[Tatsujin]

"Drafters are also working on adjusting qualifications of civil-service candidates in a bid to eradicate nepotism and put in place procedures that guarantee fair promotion, the spokesman said."

That's a fail then as Somchai Srisuthiyakorn at the EC just employed his son. No nepotism there I am sure tho, he obviously went through a rigorous screening process.

[Srikcir]

"This happens in a democratic society; both bodies will still listen to each other and consider one another's opinions,"

Yes it does. But in general where you have differing sides under control of the same group, it is called a totalitarian society or at best a communist society. In a communist society one at least has open elections, albeit a one-party electoral system.