Charter change will dilute law, risk loss of land, Democrats say
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THE DEMOCRATS plan to vote against the "dilution" of the legal framework for international agreements, chief opposition whip Jurin Laksanavisit said yesterday.
The bill to amend Article 190 of the Constitution comes up for its second reading in Parliament today.
Jurin said the opposition lawmakers found the bill unacceptable, as it was designed to weaken parliamentary scrutiny and inflate executive power.
Should the government be allowed to water down the charter’s provision on the legislature’s oversight of international negotiations, this might lead to further loss of the country’s sovereignty, he said, referring to the border dispute over Preah Vihear Temple.
Despite the strong provision, the foreign minister at the time, Noppadol Patama, had exploited a loophole to issue a joint communique to appease Cambodia on the issue, he said.
The amended version would rescue Noppadol from his current legal predicament and risk Thailand’s territorial integrity, he alleged.
Some 119 opposition lawmakers have lined up to address the floor during the two-day debate.
Pheu Thai Party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said the government would give the opposition MPs and senators full rein to voice dissenting opinions.
Prompong said Abhisit had no justification to suspect that the amendment of Article 190 had the interests of government politicians and the energy industry in mind.
He ruled out concern about making a quorum, saying each coalition whip would ensure the attendance of eight MPs.
The passage of the change to Article 190 would not encounter a repeat of the litigation against the amendment on senate elections, he said.
The debate would go smoothly as the coalition would try to restrain its objections to offensive remarks raised by the opposition, he added.
