Non-partisan individuals 'best for charter drafting body'
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A member of the National Reform Council (NRC) called yesterday for non-partisan figures to be appointed a new charter drafting committee to avoid further political conflict.
“If members of CDC [Constitution Drafting Committee] obviously side with political camps it could lead to further problems, especially public acceptance of the new charter,” NRC member General Ekachai Srivilas, who is director of the Office for Peace and Governance at King Prajadhipok’s Institute, said.
He said the CDC should build trust with the public about its primary task because the provisional charter does not state that a new Constitution needs to be passed by a referendum.
The CDC will consist of 36 members. The NRC is empowered to nominate 20 members, while the National Legislative Assembly, plus the Cabinet and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) will each nominate five members.
The NCPO will also nominate the CDC chairman. The CDC must be established within 15 days after the NRC convenes its first meeting today.
However, Ekachai said it was not necessary to stipulate how to prevent the charter being abolished or amended in the new Constitution. The new charter should state that public opinion needs to be sought before amending a charter, he said, adding that it should not stipulate penalties for those who want to amend a charter.
Meanwhile, the 250 members of the NRC will today vote to elect a president, with Thienchai Kiranan tipped to take the post in its first meeting today.
The 70-year-old professor, who is the leading candidate to be NRC president, said he would be ready to take on the responsibilities if there was sufficient support from other NRC members.
Thienchai is a former rector of Chulalongkorn University and former chairman of the Council of University Presidents of Thailand.
Two candidates for vice presidents would be Bowornsak Uwanno, secretary-general of King Prachadipok’s Institute, and former deputy Senate speaker Tassana Boonthong.
Paron Issarasena Na Ayutthaya, the most senior member at the age of 87, will be invited to perform the duty of provisional chairman at the meeting.
The NRC meeting will later set up a selection panel for the 20-CDC members and a committee to draft NRC meeting regulations. After an unofficial meeting of NRC members, it was likely that each of 11 reform panels will send two members to join the two panels. And two members from each of five regions from provincial NRC will be nominated to the two committees.
