Members of junta-appointed agencies 'must be barred'
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NLA members oppose proposal by CDC sub-panel to exclude them from politics; Peerasak threatens to resign if the move goes ahead
THE Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) sub-panel on drafting provisional articles for the new charter is proposing that members of the five main agencies installed by the junta be barred from political |positions for two years after their terms end.
The bodies, known as “five rivers”, established under the roadmap of the junta are the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the National Reform Council (NRC), the Cabinet, the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO).
The drafting of articles under this topic would be done one by one, with no more than 20 to be completed, he said. The work on the articles was expected to start today. If approved, hundreds would be affected.
Scrutiny would focus on the authority and operations of the NLA, the NRC and the NCPO, particularly for the future involvement of the “five rivers” in the process of direct election of representatives and indirect election of senators, he said.
Jade Donavanik, a sub-panel member, said yesterday, “Personally, I believe that for at least two years after their terms end, they should not be involved in politics.”
‘NCPO must be barred’
During the subcommittee meeting, one member strongly urged the CDC to bar the NCPO from taking part in politics. The proposal has yet to be resolved.
“I see the possibility in this proposal, and it is a good thing to eliminate the NCPO from politics to promote justice for every side,” the CDC member said.
Jade said a break from politics should be mandatory for the “five rivers”, because these agencies are directly related to the |new constitution. That would also prevent the public from believing the “five rivers” had drafted the charter for their own sake, he said
According to the provisional constitution now in effect, CDC members should not have been a member of a political party in the preceding three years and cannot participate in politics for two years after their term ends. The aim was to avoid conflict of interest.
Wallop Tangkananurak, a member of the NLA and also the “five rivers”, said there are regulations on becoming a CDC member and everyone must obey the law.
“Members who planned to participate in politics intentionally did not propose themselves for the CDC in the first place,” he said.
If the proposal to bar the “five rivers” from taking part in politics was drafted, it could be perceived as the CDC amending its first regulation, he said.
Paiboon Nititawan, an NRC member and also a charter drafter, said Jade’s proposal has not yet been discussed in the CDC meetings because at this stage it is still his personal opinion. However, the proposal would probably not pass in a CDC meeting, he said.
“One river is the CDC, which certainly won’t participate in politics for two years, according to the interim charter, but if the other four rivers were banned as well, |it would not be the right thing to do,” he said.
Up in arms
NLA vice president Peerasak Porjit voiced his opposition to the CDC subcommittee’s proposal on prohibiting the “five rivers” from political participation.
“I do not agree with the proposal, and if there was such a possibility of the ‘five rivers’ being barred then I would not have agreed to be in the NLA; the possibility of such a proposal should have been informed to the ‘five rivers’ first,” Peerasak said.
He said the NLA position is temporary, in which the agency’s authority and workings are both representative and senator with no relation to or benefit from the drafting of the constitution.
He also said if there was such a move, he should be informed soon so that he could resign from the NLA.
