Politicians rebuke Meechai over ‘distortion’ comment
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PHEU THAI politicians have called on Meechai Ruchupan and his team of charter drafters to be held responsible if the constitutional draft fails to pass a national referendum.
The politicians also criticised him for threatening to blame such a failure on people who try to distort the document being written by the Constitution Drafting Commission.
Meechai, chairman of the CDC, had said the drafters were working to the best of their ability and were not concerned whether the draft passes a referendum.
However, he added that if the draft failed to pass the vote it would be the result of people causing misunderstanding among voters through distorted claims.
Phumtham Wechayachai, Pheu Thai’s caretaker secretary-general, said in an open letter to Meechai that the CDC chairman seemed to believe that voters could be easily misled and influenced.
“His remark seems to reflect this thought. He does not seem to believe in the voters,” Phumtham said in the letter. “He does not think that the voters have the potential to choose what they think is the best for them.
“On the contrary, he thinks that people are not clever and could be easily influenced. This is really an insult for the people.
“In fact, if the constitutional draft fails to pass the referendum, the drafters and those overseeing the process should be held responsible. It’s because they have caused the country to waste a lot of money, |time and opportunity,” he said.
The letter was titled “Phumtham’s Note to Meechai: Adhering to Democracy or Supporting Dictatorship?”
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has expressed his support of a provision in the charter draft that would ban for life any politician found to be involved in irregularities and electoral fraud.
“I agree that there is a need to use strong medicine in order to prevent corrupt politicians from entering politics through election,” Wissanu said.
Wattana Muangsuk, another key Pheu Thai figure, said he did not think any politicians would be afraid of such “strong medicine”, as long as the country’s democratic mechanisms and justice process were respected.
He said Thailand’s political conflict and violence were caused by weaknesses in those two areas.
“The CDC’s duty is to write a new constitution that is based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law so that it [mandates] political rules respected by all sides,” he said.
Wattana said that if the final draft were based on the principles of democracy and the rule of law, most voters would support it.
“Meechai and his team should spend the rest of their time drafting the new constitution in that way. That’s better than trying to find excuses or some people to blame,” he said.
“They should be aware that if the constitution draft fails to pass the referendum, the people who must be held responsible are Meechai and his team, as well as the people who appointed Meechai.”
