Future Cabinet members, PMs to be punished for failures: CDC
Play
THE CHARTER drafters have agreed to punish the prime minister and other Cabinet members if they fail to follow their job descriptions.
Cabinet members risk losing their positions and the chance to serve in government for two years for failing to follow the guidelines to be included in the upcoming constitution, Udom Rathamarit, spokesman for the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), said yesterday.
The duties for Cabinet members were spelled out in a clause of the draft charter to benefit the public and prevent the members from exercising power in a way that would undermine the country’s economy, finances or budgeting discipline.
This clause was also intended as a measure to scrutinise the administration, Udom said.
Complaints could be filed with the Constitutional Court if any of the Cabinet members or the prime minister fails to follow the guidelines or has a conflict of interest.
A severe case of conflict of interest could result in a court ruling that requires the entire Cabinet to be dissolved.
The CDC has decided to add more qualifications for the prime minister and other members of the Cabinet, including “evident honesty and exemplary ethical conduct”.
The purpose was to make it easier to scrutinise the government leader and his Cabinet, Udom said.
Worachai Hema, a politician from the Pheu Thai Party, warned that if the constitution drafters were stubborn about allowing non-MPs to become prime minister, their draft would eventually be rejected in the national referendum.
“I believe that political parties and their supporters will disagree with the clause that allows non-MPs to become prime minister,” he said.
A failure to pass the referendum would severely erode the government’s legitimacy. “I don’t think people will allow them to write a third constitutional draft,” he added.
The Political Reform Steering Committee has suggested to the CDC that it consider tougher punishment for election candidates who win dishonestly, said Wanchai Sornsiri, the panel’s spokesman.
They should be subject to a ban for life from contesting an election, in addition to a maximum imprisonment term of 10 years. If the offender is a party leader or party executive, he or shee should be banned from politics for life, he added.
