NSRRC 'turned Democrats off draft'

“In the draft charter, there were issues like [the creation of] the National Strategic Reform and Reconciliation Commission (NSRRC) being introduced at the very last moment without careful consideration about the issue. This could have been the main factor leading to another conflict in society,” said Soracha. 

She added that another reason for the party having rejected the draft was that the current interim charter did not allow for any amendment to the draft. This could have caused more problems in the future, she stressed.

According to Soracha, this was why its party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva had suggested to the National Reform Council (NRC)’s rejection of the draft charter and allowing it to be amended in parts deemed controversial before going to the referendum process. 

This would not be time-consuming, said Soracha, referring to Abhisit’s idea.

Soracha said the suggestion made by the Democrat Party was with good intentions. 

She also added that Abhisit had clearly said most of the content of the constitution was acceptable. He fully supported the provisions on anti-corruption measures, the creation of an anti-corruption mechanism and the legal punishment related to the issue. 

The former MP also placed great emphasis on the fact it was Abhisit who suggested that legal punishment in cases related to corruption should be more severe and that statutes of limitation should not be applied to them.