While the junta's in power, everything can be called 'reform'

The CDC, in particular, has ideas that are known clearly. For example, its survey in January found that the public opposed an unelected prime minister – but it has written a charter to pave the way for an undemocratic leadership.

A CDC and King Prajadhipok’s Institute survey found that close to 59 per cent of 5,800 samplings indicated that people want the constitution to cite clearly that only an elected MP can be the prime minister of Thailand. The majority of respondents, 58.6 per cent, wanted members of the House of Representatives to vote to approve the person to be prime minister.

The poll was taken in the middle of January and the result was distributed to all members of the CDC – but the committee told the public only on Monday that the majority wanted an elected prime minister.

However, the CDC is frank enough to say it doesn’t believe the poll and still maintains the idea of having a non-elected prime minister.

CDC spokespeople in a press conference on Monday did not present the poll’s findings about other key elements in the new political setting – such as the Senate, the Ethics Assembly and another reform body – which were also designed to support the perpetuation of power.

The Senate is another way of continually preserving power for the military and the bureaucrats and retaining their roles in politics after a new constitution comes into being. The drafted charter says that 200 members of the Senate will be “selected” by and from ex-senior officials such as a former chief of Supreme Court, former permanent secretaries of ministries and former military commanders.

Rather than having a general vote, these former senior officials and associations of professionals are being authorised by the constitution to select individuals from among themselves as their representatives to be senators.

The selection, which CDC chief Borwornsak Uwanno dubbed a “pluralism indirect election”, will only bring like-minded old officials and elites in professional associations to the chamber. The powerful Senate will not be subject to what voters want, but only to their bosses, who will pick nominees for a place in the Upper House.

Frankly speaking, if the head of government was their man, the Senate would support and play the role of guardian. If the government was led by elected politicians, the Senate would be a strong and powerful opposition with the ability to bring the Cabinet down.

Furthermore, the constitution is about to endorse the establishment of an Ethics Assembly to provide 55 highly moral people to check and balance “bad politicians” in political entities. The selection committee, which includes the prime minister, opposition leader, House speaker, representatives of the Supreme Court and a university rectors’ council, would pick the so-called “good people” to dictate “ethics and morality” in administration and politics. 

No need to guess, those hand-picked for the assembly would have to support the coup and the junta.

Not last perhaps, but not least either, is the ongoing debate over establishment of a National Reform Mobilisation Assembly to champion continual reform. The new charter will cite that 60 of the current members of the NRC, and 30 from the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), will sit together with a five-member committee on strategic reform.

The role of the new reform assembly was not clear but reformers in the current NRC defended the proposal, saying that some of them – together with the junta – had rubber stamped that the NLA needs to continue the reform process permanently.

The term “reform” is problematic. Everything in this country can be called “reform” as long as the junta’s supporters are in power. But one thing they are doing in common is to prevent people’s representatives, including of course their enemies, from doing things that contradict their guidelines.