Don't fear fully elected Senate under amended charter, MPs told
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Day 5 of Parliament's deliberation on the charter amendment saw Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaewmeechai, chairman of the parliamentary committee vetting the amendment, trying to allay fears that the proposed introduction of a fully elected Senate would lead to th
Samart said the elected senators would have limited terms, and if they did not perform well, they would likely not be re-elected. He urged parliamentarians to trust the decisions of the voters, which was at the heart of democracy.
He said this would be more democratic than having seven people deciding who will become appointed senators.
Wiruch Romyen, a Democrat MP from Ranong, insisted that the second reading of the bill, particularly on amending the second paragraph of Article 112 of the Constitution on how number of senators from each province should be calculated, violated the existing charter. He requested a recess and rewording by the charter amendment committee before the next joint session of Parliament.
The government and opposition whips could not agree on when the next round of deliberations should be held. Chief government whip Amnuay Khlangpha wanted it to be held tomorrow, while his opposition counterpart Jurin Laksanawisit wanted it to take place next week.
Parliament President and House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranont said he did not think it necessary to meet tomorrow but asked the two sides to discuss the matter again and come up with a common date.
He said the Senate was scheduled to deliberate on the 2014 budget bill on Monday and Tuesday, so they would not be able to hold a joint session of Parliament on those days.
