40 senators to propose 2 charter changes
The so-called Group of 40 Senators announced yesterday that it supported the amendment of individual articles of the existing Constitution, rather than writing an entirely new charter, to avoid exacerbating social rifts.
The group announced at a press conference that it would start by proposing amendments to Article 237 and Article 117 to do away with party dissolution as a penalty for election fraud, and to allow senators to be elected for two consecutive terms.
Joining the press conference were Paibul Nititawan, Prasarn Maruekapitak, Jetn Siratharaonon and Nirand Praditthakul, all appointed senators.
Paibul told the press conference that amending certain articles was a better solution than the passage of the charter-amendment bill, which is now pending its third reading in Parliament.
A coalition panel entrusted with studying measures to amend the charter has announced it will recommend that the government push for the third reading of the amendment bill in the next parliamentary session. The amendment bill is aimed at setting up a new Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) to write a new charter.
Paibul said his group would draft a new bill to change the two articles next week. His group would then seek 128 signatures from MPs and senators to sponsor the bill and submit it to Parliament President Somsak Kiartsuranont immediately.
Paibul said his group believed that Article 237 should be amended to abolish the party dissolution penalty in case of election fraud, but that the five-year political ban for the party leader and executives should stay.
He said Article 117, which prohibits a senator from being elected for two consecutive terms, should be amended to lift the ban.
Paibul said the two articles had caused concern among parliamentarians, so they should be improved in a spirit of brotherhood and friendship and efforts made to seek a common stand.
The proposal to amend the two articles is not motivated by a conflict of interest, but is aimed at preventing confrontations in society that may lead to violence, the senator said.
He said the charter-amendment bill, which is pending its third reading, was seen as being aimed at helping just one person.
But Noppadon Pattama, a legal adviser to Thaksin Shinawatra, yesterday denied that the proposed rewriting of the charter was aimed at helping the former prime minister.
Noppadon said the Group of 40 Senators and the Democrat Party were paranoid to believe such a thing. He said the coalition panel has not yet submitted its recommendation on whether to pass the third reading of the bill.
Noppadon said the Pheu Thai Party had promised in its election campaign that it would establish a CDA to write a more democratic charter for the benefit of the country.
So, if a new charter is written, it would be for the benefit of the entire country, not just for Thaksin, he said.
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