CDC plans to slap immoral politicians with a lifetime ban
Play
THE Constitution Drafting Commission is planning to issue a lifetime ban on politicians and state officials found to have violated the principles of morality and ethics, CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan said yesterday.
The CDC had earlier decided to include provisions in the charter that slam a lifetime ban on politicians found to be corrupt, in a bid to curb graft. Now the move to lay out rules on morals and ethics is seen as an attempt to set a higher bar for officials to meet.
Meechai said the CDC is thinking about drafting rules on ethics and morals to govern all state sectors, including the political sector.
“Everybody, especially those in the field of politics, must conform to moral and ethical standards, otherwise they will be dismissed and banned for life from politics,” Meechai said.
He was responding to a proposal from Phra Buddha Issara, former core leader of the People’s Democratic Reform Committee, who yesterday called for the establishment of a “Moral and Ethical Assembly” to monitor the behaviour of political office holders.
Phra Buddha Issara urged Meechai to uphold the “Civic Assembly” provision included in the previous draft by the Borwornsak Uwanno-led CDC, saying that such an agency would empower people to check local government.
The monk also called for an amendment to the Sangha Act, saying the current regulation, does not punish monks who commit offences. He led 50 devout Buddhists to Parliament to hand Meechai a proposal on reforming the current monastic regulations.
“For instance, Phra Dhammachayo, abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, who the Supreme Patriarch had ordered to be defrocked for embezzlement and for claiming that he had attained enlightenment, escaped justice,” the monk said.
He said the ecclesiastic regulations governing monks needed reforms.
Meechai said he realised that Buddhism was in the danger of being abused, and vowed to write a clear law in the draft charter that stipulates how the government can prevent religion from being used wrongly.
Meanwhile, Suwat Nualkhao, president of the Thai Logistics and Production Society, submitted a proposal to the CDC to separate the role of constituency and party-list MPs.
He said the former should not come under the banner of any party as they only have a legislative role, not an executive one. However, party-list MPs must come under a political party and they had a duty to check on the government.
Under this system, Parliament would have no opposition or executive role. “This will help ease political conflicts and nepotism,” he said.
Senators would be selected, with one from each province. They could screen laws and appoint independent agencies, but would have no right to pass or veto any law, Suwat said.
