PM can't skirt decision on referendum too long
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ISSUE LIKELY TO BE DISCUSSED LATER THIS MONTH BY NCPO AND THE CABINET
DESPITE Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha’s repeated remark that the time has not come to decide on whether a national referendum will be held on the draft charter, reporters continue to put the question to him.
“Whether there will be a referendum or not, it will be considered again – I cannot answer it now,” Prayut said on his weekly TV talk on Friday.
If one looks at Prayut’s stance on the issue so far, both as PM and as head of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), it is obvious that he has been evasive. Reporters continue to ask him this question, something Prayut seems unhappy about.
But it doesn’t look like there is going to be any respite from him until there is some clarity on the issue.
Before the provisional charter came into effect, Prayut said people should wait and see the provisional charter first. Nothing was written in it about a referendum, however, Prayut has never said that it would be forbidden and neither was it forbidden in the provisional constitution.
Prayut chose to stick to his stance, saying it’s not time to decide even though the provisional charter is 10 months old and the charter-writing process is beyond the half-way mark. This leads to the question ‘why?’
On one hand, it must be acknowledged that the public has got used to the notion that a referendum is the best way to gauge whether a draft charter is acceptable to the people or not.
This despite the fact that only the 2007 draft charter went through a referendum. Denial of a referendum would be seen as a regressive move.
Prayut seems to be skirting the issue because at this stage, there is no need for him to commit himself. Any move regarding the referendum will have a political impact, which could create ripples in society.
If the decision is to have a referendum, the immediate question will be whether people can have another charter written if this draft is rejected. There has been talk of reviving the 2007 charter or even the 1997 charter as an alternative.
Will the charter-drafting process begin anew with new voters choosing members of the new charter-drafting committee?
The interim charter stipulates that any decision should be made before the National Reform Council (NRC) votes on the draft charter on August 6.
If Prayut says no to a referendum, he is bound to come under severe criticism.
The Cabinet will meet with the NCPO on May 19 and the two must forward proposals for possible amendments to the draft charter. It is also expected that they may discuss the issue of a referendum and this may be the first time we will hear Prayut’s stance on the draft charter and perhaps on a |referendum.
Whether there will be a referendum or not and when an election will be held – all these depends on the situation, as Prayut has |mentioned earlier.
