CDC chief backs increase in female staff

“We need a majority vote [to accept the proposal]. Even though the charter drafters have yet to come to a resolution, it does not mean it is impossible,” he said. 

CDC member Ticha Na Nakorn quit the charter drafting panel and National Reform Council (NRC) yesterday – and many believe her move stemmed from the charter drafters’ response to her call for women to have a greater role in local administration. 

Meanwhile, Borwornsak said he was thinking about filing a lawsuit against Matichon newspaper for allegedly discrediting him and misleading the public over Ticha’s resignation, as well as misquoting him in another instance. He said the paper’s headline claiming that he was the reason why Ticha quit and that he was against women’s rights was misleading and incorrect. 

“I have been supporting this proposal since it was first tabled, but some CDC members were against it. I have to make compromises, but if a vote is called and the majority accepts the proposal, then those against it must accept too,” he said. 

Asked if he thought Ticha was hasty in quitting, Borwornsak said people have their own reasons for what they do. 

He said a Matichon column headlined “Borwornsak Uwanno sees through challenges”, written by someone under the pseudonym “Gartong”, misquoted him and made readers think he was branding most Thais as ignorant. He also said a response by Matichon’s managing director in a Facebook post was unsatisfactory. 

“If there were any misleading statements, it could be in the second paragraph, which has a quote that might make readers think it was Borwornsak’s statement,” Borwornsak quoted the director’s post as saying, adding that the person in question merely “partly admitted and partly denied” the existence of a mistake. 

He said he did not intend to issue threats, but the paper should realise it cannot publish spurious claims, adding that this was not the first time that the Matichon Group has mistreated him. Last November, Matichon TV wrongly edited a clip that discredited him, he said, adding that he chose not to take action then because it looked like an honest mistake. 

Meanwhile, CDC spokesman Lertrat Ratanavanich said the panel was set to draft provisions that touch on independent agencies like the Election Commission (EC), which must continue to carry out their duties once the new charter goes into effect. He said although the new charter would create a new body to take over the EC’s job of managing and organising elections, it might not be ready to hold a general election when the new charter goes into effect. 

The provisions in question would stipulate that members of some independent agencies continue working until their terms end or until the new body is ready to take over their responsibilities. 

He said the CDC has yet to discuss a provision on whether the National Council for Peace and Order should be granted an amnesty for staging the coup in May last year.