Let's just revive the 1997 'people's constitution'
The draft charter is riddled with fatal flaws, as noted by Dr Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, chair of the National Reform Council's political-reform committee. For example, Section 182 gives the opposition only 48 hours to table a motion opposing a bill, and
Had former premier Yingluck Shinawatra’s controversial “midnight amnesty bill” been introduced under this draft charter, the Pheu Thai Party’s majority would have ensured its passage.
Also, the proposed MMP system favours weak coalitions, giving disproportionate power to small parties holding the balance of votes and fostering unstable governments.
Of our 19 charters to date, only the 1997 edition earned the title “people’s constitution” because of the unprecedented public participation in its drafting.
It thus still has more legitimacy than any other version. Rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater, we should revise it, based on the nine years we had living under it and events thereafter.
Burin Kantabutra
