Some NRC members dissatisfied with charter

NRC member Udom Faungfoong said his group believed none of provisions in the charter draft would resolve conflicts and it feared the country would go back to square one after a general election was held because Thailand was not ready for it.

Udom said although the CDC changed certain provisions as his group required, it couldn’t guarantee the charter would end political conflicts.

“My group never announced it would vote down the charter. We have just voiced concern that if the country is not yet totally peaceful, there should not be an election,” he said. 

“Democracy is not only about an election. The main conflicts we face are conflicts of interest. The government must ensure that the interests belong to the public, not electioneers.”

The CDC yesterday invited the final four groups that called for amendments to the charter draft, including the NRC and the Cabinet, to explain their points. The public will get a rundown on the charter when CDC and NRC representatives appear on a live morning television show from August 27 to explain its important chapters. 

NRC president Thienchay Kiranandana said the NRC would not postpone the date of the charter vote from September 6 to September 7, because the sixth fell on a Sunday and many people would be at home watching the live broadcast of the event. 

Seree Suwanpanont, chairman of the NRC’s panel on law and justice reform, said he did not attend the meeting with the CDC because he believed it would be no use. “We have different principles and solutions. Even if I had attended the meeting, I would not have seen the whole final draft,’’ he said.