Party-list system of little value : Suthep
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VETERAN politician Suthep Thaugsuban yesterday took a dim view of the party-list system, saying most of its MPs were useless because they were not directly answerable to any electorate.
“Party-list MPs have only little benefit to the people. There may be some good ones who take care of the people, but there is only a small number of them,” the former secretary-general of the Democrat Party said.
However, if people think party-list MPs are necessary, it would be no problem for him, he said.
The current head of the People’s Democratic Reform Foundation also expressed support for a lifetime ban for any candidate found guilty of election fraud.
“These people betray the democratic system, so they don’t deserve to run in a democratic election for the rest of their life,” he said.
Anyone else involved in election fraud – even bureaucrats or officials of the Election Commission – should also be deprived of their electoral rights for the rest of their lives.
“It’s because they fail to respect the rules and principles of democracy,” he said.
A special court was needed to handle electoral cases. This would help expedite them and prevent candidates from cheating in elections.
Suthep led months of street protests against the previous democratically elected Yingluck Shinawatra government, leading up to the military coup in May last year.
It is unlikely for any group of constitution framers to please everyone, but most people seems to trust Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission, he said.
“Meechai has a lot of experience and he has witnessed several episodes of the country. People are confident that he should be able to use the lessons from the past in writing new rules for the country’s future,” he said.
After knowing Meechai for more than 30 years, he always holds respect for the gentleman, he said.
“I feel good now that he agreed to do the job. This is a difficult job filled with stress and pressure. You don’t gain anything from doing this job.”
Meanwhile, the Chart Pattana Party called on the CDC to write a new charter that connects with the people and ensures fairness for all sides.
It should also be flexible and compatible with the global and local situations, party spokesman Chalitrat Jantarubeksa said.
The recommendations were among those submitted by the party to Meechai.
Meechai and his team are capable of writing a new constitution that will be acceptable to all sides, he said.
