Prayut calls for people-centred, effective charter

“I told Cabinet members to get all sides involved in the drafting process, so everybody can benefit from the new Constitution. When the new charter comes into force, we will all need to accept the rules and regulations in order to move forward,” Prayut said in his weekly TV address, “Return Happiness to People”, yesterday. 

He said a strong constitution would prevent conflicts in society, because a good constitution prioritises the protection of the people’s best interests. 

However, he added, the government and the drafting committee will try to get as many sides involved in the drafting process as possible. 

As for the reconciliation plan, Prayut pointed out that reconciliation should come from a true democracy, which gives equal rights to every member of society regardless of their ethnicity and religion. 

“Democracy does not just involve elections, and it certainly does not mean power for a particular party. Democracy must provide equality and allow every member of society to participate,” he said, adding that a true democracy would have laws and regulations that are trustworthy and fair, so every member is willing to accept and abide by the laws. 

We need long-lasting reconciliation and must avoid linking it to legal procedures, as these are two different things, he said. 

“We cannot use laws as an instrument to hurt our opponents. Our nation is the most important thing at the moment. Court procedures and judicial procedures must be respected and not compromised. I can assure you that the government does not favour any side. If it did, the country would not be able to overcome any setbacks and the people would be the ones to suffer,” he said. 

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam said he hoped the new charter would organise the balance of power for all sectors, such as the power between the central government and local, state and civil politics, as well as civil servants and political office holders. 

He went on to say that the charter should not be long or go into too many details, but should be short and cover all aspects. The charter also should make provision for the setting up of an organisation to help interpret any legal disputes, he said. 

“We don’t need a court to do this job [like in the past]. The organisation will interpret or give advice before [disputes] happen,” he said.