NLA’s Surachai suggested additional ideas for senate election

BANGKOK, 3 January 2016 (NNT) - A vice president of the National Legislative Assembly has suggested additional ideas concerning the election of the senators under the new Constitution.

NLA’s First Vice President Surachai Liengboonlertchai said that the legislature has prepared some more ideas about the senate election that should really help achieve more transparency.

Mr. Surachai’s comment was heard after the Constitution Drafting Commission had made suggestion on an indirect senate election from 20 candidates representing professional groups to help avoid cronyism and nepotism.

Mr. Surachai said that the NLA has suggested CDC President Meechai Richupan that the senate poll system should be more rigorous by adding more elements to the selection process.

He added that the presidents or chiefs of all courts and independent organizations should be invited to join the selection committee in order to ensure future senators will be really qualified and knowledgeable about the vetting of draft laws without being politically influenced.

In addition, the NLA has noted that the CDC should be able to better convince the public how its proposed election system will be effective in preventing any lobbying attempts.

-- NNT 2016-01-03

"adding more elements to the selection process."

Why stop with 20 "professional" groups. How about 100 or 1,000 professional groups? Of course if you have too many groups, pretty soon you end up with the whole Thai electorate. And what would be the sense of that in controlling senatorial candidacy? You'd have no control - and works for democracy.

He added that the presidents or chiefs of all courts and independent organizations should be invited to join the selection committee in order to ensure future senators will be really qualified and knowledgeable about the vetting of draft laws without being politically influenced.

For those who have missed it, this structure contains a circular appointment & selection process whereby junta lackeys are placed in "independent (think Orwellian, here) organizations" and junta appointed courts are in charge of selecting Senate candidates to be "elected" by other good-people. In previous proposals, these same Senators are then part of the selection process for court appointments and the so-called independent organizations.

So the seeds of the military junta, plant seeds in other parts of government, which return the favor. None of these groups are answerable to the electorate. In fact, these organizations are precisely those charged with "oversight" of elected politicians chosen by the people.

The Thai people have very little voice in this system, and if the elite do not like what their tiny voice says, the elite have the power to silence the people and their neutered government.

The dawn of a new feudal Thailand...

For those who missed this, the (s)election of Senators becomes unnecessary difficult.

Still it seems it will be a while before the CDC will be able to present a 'maybe nearly final' draft.