Meechai fails to quash talk of parties being dissolved

But he insisted that such a requirement did not exist in the draft constitution, to be voted on in a referendum on August 7.

Meechai Ruchuphan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), yesterday refuted reports that all political parties would be wiped out and would have to be re-registered. 

He said the draft charter only spelt out the qualifications needed for election candidates. Any legal measure requiring political parties to re-register would have to be written in an organic law but that would be a long way off because the referendum had not been held.

Talk of parties having to re-register was sparked after leading Pheu Thai figure Sudarat Keyuraphan said at a public seminar she was not sure if she should still describe herself as a Pheu Thai member. She said it was possible the party would be dissolved and would have to re-register under the new political structure set by the current regime and its constitution.

But Meechai said the charter drafters had never discussed the matter. The issue of restructuring political parties in detail would be stipulated in organic laws, he said. 

However, the organic laws would not be on the table until the referendum is held, the CDC chief said. And when the issue is discussed, the opinions of all sides – political parties, the government and academics – would be heeded, he said.

In a related topic, the chief drafter said a scheduled meeting of politicians this week would not be nice if they talked about the charter draft in a dishonest way. 

He said there had been many attempts to bring down the charter by alleging it stipulated something it did not.

Politicians from leading parties, such as Pheu Thai, the Democrats and Chart Thai Pattana, are set to meet this week to discuss the political situation in the country after admitting last week that they are part of the problem. However, the move has stirred scepticism. 

Noppadol Pattama, Pheu Thai’s former foreign minister, said the reconciliation process would not be achieved with such bitter cynicism.

He said that during this difficult time, Thais had to fight against all the hardships themselves because a climate of distrust still enveloped the country.

He said if people were so full of doubt and lacked mercy, they would not be able to join together and sort out the issues that the country faces, adding that the problems were beyond the capability of a “superman” to unravel. 

No matter how many reform plans, economic measures or constitutions were adopted, harmony would not be restored if people were always sceptical of what their opponents were saying without allowing constructive debate, he said. 

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party’s former prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said he agreed with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha that politicians should talk privately, not publicly. 

He said they should talk about matters of public interest, not personal interest or anything political, to prevent further distrust of politicians by the National Council for Peace and Order.

He said his party had not resolved officially whether to send any representatives to this week’s meeting, so any Democrat joining it would do so in their name and not as a party representative.