'Grand Design' blueprint critical to Thailand's future, charter drafter Buntoon insists
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ONE OF the architects of the draft charter has defended the proposed National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee (NSRRC) and its supporting structures, such as the "grand coalition" government, saying they were needed to ensure the reform and
Buntoon Srethasirote, a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and the reconciliation studies committee under the National Reform Council (NRC), told The Nation that the idea was part of the so-called “Grand Design for Reform, Reconciliation and Revitalising Democracy”.
When the CDC got down to work, it realised the need for the process to be continuous to guarantee success.
It also saw that Thai society had been going through a major transition in various aspects, including “the institution”, and that there should be some mechanisms to help smooth the way.
Most importantly, it came to realise that the charter alone may not be able to handle all these challenges. This became clearer when it saw the proposals presented by agencies, including the government, shortly after the charter deliberation of the NRC in April.
One of the trigger points for the NSRRC was the government’s notion of a “grand coalition”, which the CDC viewed would not be acceptable to existing political parties.
As chairman of the reconciliation studies committee and a CDC member, Anek Laothammatas began gauging the views of various party representatives.
“After meeting them, we then realised that a grand coalition may not be the answer following opposition. So, we changed to the grand design,” Buntoon said.
Four or five CDC members were then assigned to develop the grand design, which was to include 11 government policies, 11 policies addressed by the National Council for Peace and Order, normal policies and administrative plans, and the 12th Economic and Social Development Plan.
What was new were the NRC’s blueprint and the reform agendas act, which is being prepared, the six reconciliation agendas proposed by the reconciliation studies committee and the 20-year national strategic plan plus an operating plan.
To integrate all the plans, key mechanisms would have to be put in place, the first being the parliament.
The second would be a “grand coalition” government, which Buntoon insisted would come from an election, but would become a “grand coalition” only when people voted on the NRC’s proposed question that would go with the referendum on the new charter.
The last mechanism would be the NSRRC, which would develop national strategies during the first five years after the constitution takes effect, and is expected to pass the task to the national strategic committee working further on the 20-year strategic plan.
Under the NSRRC would be two committees working separately on reform and reconciliation. And the national strategic reform and reconciliation act would forge commitments from them.
The NSRRC was special because it would have special emergency powers in times of crisis. This has been written under a provisional clause of the draft charter.
The NSRRC’s emergency powers would last only five years, as the |charter framers believed that other mechanisms would function to help take the country towards reform and reconciliation and there would be no need to have the NSRRC.
Buntoon said this clause was inspired by Article 16 of the French constitution.
He insisted that the NSRRC would not supersede government power, as it would come after all principal bodies failed to function. If a crisis was allowed to continue, the country would see the constitution torn up again.
It would not prolong military power as feared, as it would work under collective decision-making, under which no one could dominate.
“It’s like a safety valve, and if other mechanisms function well, we hope that we will not see this power during the time given,” Buntoon said.
