PM defends use of Article 44
THE ENFORCEMENT of Article 44 of the interim charter in the rice-pledging scheme was mainly to grant legal protection to members of committees working on related cases, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha said yesterday.
The need to fasten the process was crucial, Prayut said during his weekly press briefing, as the cases will be considered by the civil courts and have only one-year prescriptions.
“I have used the existing [legal] mechanisms as much as possible, but they are not enough to accelerate the working process,” he said.
“For example, proceeding with a public hearing could take as much as two years,” the premier said. “Should we wait that long? It can be fastened under this current [legal] circumstance, so why not?”
“I haven’t used it [article 44] to overrule the laws or benefit any particular individuals, but to protect working officials to make them work more comfortably.”
The order will also protect rightful officials from “dark authority”, the premier added, possibly referring to how some of the committee members have to investigate their former commanders.
Apart from speeding up the process, Prayut added, his order will not support violations of original laws or regulations. He also stressed that the order was never meant to abuse any parties.
The premier, who is also the leader of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), on Sunday invoked his special power to guarantee officials protection against legal and disciplinary actions while they work on cases related to the managing of rice in government stockpiles and the selling off of rice stocks.
Such actions during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration were considered illegal.
The order came after it was reported that the officials were working under pressure and fear of possible legal consequences.
But Prayut’s order has been criticised by members of the Phue Thai Party, most notably former commerce minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, who said the order is a government self-defence tool and it proves that it was intended to make Yingluck and the scheme political scapegoats.
Anusorn Iamsa-ard, acting deputy spokesperson of Pheu Thai, agreed with Boonsong and said that the order could bring about early amnesties for related committee members and officials.
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