Wissanu warns of political strife in wake of draft charter, election

He said the government was concerned about the possibility, but he believed that before the referendum, reaction could still be held in control. This is because there were no other reasons behind the doubt but dissatisfaction against the new charter, he added. 

However, it was anticipated that disagreement and trouble could intensify after an enactment of the new constitution and after an election.

They could result from various sources, including dissatisfaction with the charter itself, the election, or the new government, among others. So any these eventualities could be frustrating and hard to manage, he said.

“Any disagreements before the referendum could be easily [anticipated], but after enactment of the new charter, we might not be able to see clearly what caused them, where they [originated], and how best to handle them,” Wissanu said.

He said concerned parties, including the Constitution Drafting Committee, were worried about the possibilities, and that is why they had introduced some “strange” measures in the draft charter. He hoped they could help defuse problems, suggesting that those measures would include a the proposed National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Committee.

Wissanu said it could be late to fix the draft as it was about to be tabled before the National Reform Council for voting on September 6 – but it would be the people who would make a decision again, he said.

He denied the charter was a source for new conflict, saying people could be both happy and unhappy with it, and dissatisfaction could grow when they saw flaws in it over time. However, he said the referendum was the best way for people to express their thoughts on it.

In response to the notion that the charter did not support a fully fledged democracy, he said the drafters and ordinary people might have different views when thinking about democracy. He said everyone had equal rights to study and criticise it, but cautioned that the issue was sensitive and people should help one another think it through.

Wissanu said the regulations for the referendum prepared by the Election Commission were still loose. It was suggested that the EC consult with the Council of State for consideration before handing it the regulations to the National Legislative Assembly, he said.