CDC defends five-year 'transitional system'
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Full-fledged western-inspired democracy 'unfit for Thailand'
THE NEW charter is aimed at getting Thailand back on its feet with a five-year “transitional” democracy, rather than trying to inflict another “mature” democracy on the country, Borwornsak Uwanno, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, told the press yesterday.
“After things fell apart like we’d never seen, I would like to ask if we still want it – a Western-style full-fledged democracy?” he asked.
The CDC has tried it best to find a democratic model that fits the country’s situation, he said. During the past 10 years, the country has been facing the plague of corruption as well as a deep division that finds no end, significantly because of a Western full-fledged democracy.
It has seen the constitution torn up twice, and the government fall under a military regime. So, looking to the left, people will see a failed full-fledged democracy, while looking to the right, they will see a coup waiting.
To chart a course out of such a dilemma, the CDC decided to write a charter that gave life to a “transitional democracy” before letting it grow into an adult one when the time was right.
“Now, you may have already heard what politicians have voiced about the draft charter –nothing has changed at all. One party keeps insisting on upholding the rule of law, but never offers a solution, while the other keeps rejecting reconciliation without the root problem tackled.
“So how would all of us be able to move on with such a tone of voice? If we write a charter like those of 1997 and 2007, we will see them enter politics again and everything will go back to the same dilemma,” he said.
The CDC decided that a full-fledged democracy would be reached after passing a transitional stage of five years. This transitional democracy is aimed at patching up the deep conflict, promoting reconciliation and navigating the country towards “reform”.
What people will see in the future is a government running the country along with a new mechanism that will help it in reform and reconciliation work. And in times of crisis, it will act as an intervener to prevent the country from falling apart, Borwornsak said.
“The mechanism may not be of a full-fledged democracy. It’s half-half, as it would have a prime minister, a parliament president as well as their predecessors to sit on the same committee. But as we are in a transition, we must learn from past lessons and not repeat them,” he said.
People should look for three things when considering whether they will accept the new charter – whether it will help solve past problems, whether it is an advancement from the charters of 1997 and 2007, and whether it can help bring about reform and reconciliation in the country, he added.
Kamnoon Sidhisamarn, the CDC’s spokesman, said the committee had drafted the charter to tackle political conflict as well as the deep-rooted problem of inequality.
The last chapter, which involves reform and reconciliation, would not be found anywhere else, as it was designed to fit Thailand’s situation only. And more important, the CDC did not wish to see yet another coup.
The special powers given to the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Commission would end after five years, but the committee’s continuity under Chapter 4 could be reconsidered via a referendum.
“We have written the charter with all the knowledge we have and to meet the reality of our society. We are confident to some extent that it has offered us all a way out and we are willing to reveal everything before you,” he said.
The CDC did not insert the NSRRC mechanism at the last minute – it was there from the start and developed over time, he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam rejected the notion that the Cabinet was behind the idea of creating the NSRRC, saying it did not propose such a charter amendment to the CDC.
Politicians would not be able to design campaigns against the charter, as the draft referendum law would not allow that. It’s feared that that would cause a conflict to arise again.
But they could air their views publicly through the media, he said.
