2nd reading of charter bill resumes today

Chairman of the ad-hoc panel on charter amendment, Samart Kaewmeechai, said the second reading was unlikely to be finished this week but should be finalised by mid-May.

“If the government whip agrees and extends the meeting time, we (the panel) are ready to let all registered speakers to speak just as they had said while registered to speak. I’d also like to ask the Speakers to control the debate so it’s only on different issues from what was debated during the first reading. Otherwise, protests will keep prolonging the debate,” Samart said. 

Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the party would propose at the House-Senate meeting on charter amendment today that broadcasts of the debate be cancelled.

“The more broadcasting the more delay. The Democrats always attack the government instead talking about the amendment issue,” he claimed.

A joint House-Senate meeting for deliberation on this was halted last Wednesday. Today is the ninth day of the second reading. A third reading of the law change must take place at least 15 days after the second reading is finished.

Government chief whip Udomdej Rattanasatien said they had invited representatives from the Election Commission to express concerns about holding a national referendum about the charter amendment.

“Ask the opposition what their intention is and if they intend to exhaust the senators and are looking for a chance [to delay the bill further] when the meeting lacks quorum,” he said. 

The opposition should be considerate and care about MPs and senators, who have schedules to visit local people or trips abroad planned, he said.

Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva said deliberation on the draft would be finished unnecessarily within three days, as proposed by government MPs.

“The government refused four-party talks but want to push only what they want, so the Democrats must do their best to show [our] opposition to the rules that the government proposed and abuse of power to force things like that,” he explained. 

Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombat said the opposition would keep debating against the law, as that was the way a minority fights against laws it disagrees with – even though it knows the government will win the votes in the end.

He said the controversial issues include the authority of the House Speaker, such as in identifying groups of people who can be nominate to be candidates of the drafting assembly.

“If five-party talk happens, the (second reading) deliberation can be finished within this week,” Nipit said. Otherwise, it was uncertain whether the deliberation must drag on into the next parliamentary session.

The current legislative session has been extended indefinitely. But the next is not scheduled to start till August.

Senator Surachai Liengboon-lerschai said the government would not be able to limit the time for deliberation. 

It would be a good sign if one article was passed each day. The second reading might finish next week then, he said.

He said the issues that may be heavily discussed would be whether a national referendum should be held before establishing a drafting assembly, and whether the drafting assembly’s draft charter should be scrutinised by Parliament before it is submitted for royal endorsement.