Opposing sides air views on charter bill provisions
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The House committee in charge of vetting the charter amendment bill on Wednesday convened a non voting session to allow opposing sides to air their respective views on the draft provisions.
The contentious issues included the composition of the Constitution Drafting Assembly and the qualifications for charter writers.
Committee members from the Pheu Thai Party voiced support for the government-sponsored provisions. The CDA should comprise 99 seats allocated to 77 elected members and 22 academics voted into office by MPs and senators.
The Democrats insisted on their proposal for elected CDA members based on the population size of each province and elected charter writers via a proportionate vote cast nationwide.
The opposition lawmakers wanted the CDA to have more than 150 seats.
With regard to job qualifications, Pheu Thai MP Weng Tojirakarn said the minimum age for aspiring charter writers should be lowered from 35 to 25 years. He also suggested charter writers should maintain a one-year residency in a given constituency in lieu of the five-year requirement as per the draft.
The Democrats opposed Weng’s proposal, arguing charter writers should possess maturity, experience and financial security.
The next meeting is scheduled today to solicit views from the public. The Mahidol University’s Peace Building Research Centre is expected to submit a report on a roundtable discussion on charter change.
