Abhisit lauds PM for restoring peace, but opposes use of Article 44

Referring to Article 44 that gives Prayut, who is also chief of the National Council |for Peace and Order, absolute power, Abhisit said the PM cannot resort to this power |forever. 

“He has to think if there is no special power, how can he bring about peace in a sustainable way,’’ he said.

The Democrat Party chief urged Prayut to resort to normal legal procedure to achieve peace and effectively take the remaining time of over one year to reform the police, the media and the political sector. 

He called on Prayut to review the NCPO’s orders to exempt law enforcement, and also review the NCPO orders that may be in violation of the charter such as the exemption of environment laws, city planning law, building control law. 

He advised against changing the country’s educational structure and political structure to address the southern insurgency so that the country can come up with solutions to these problems systematically. 

“If the council reviews these orders before the election, it would be easier to address the issues, otherwise solving these problems in the future would be complicated for an elected government,’’ he said.

Abhisit said the most urgent agenda for an elected government is to alleviate the plight of the public affected by economic woes. 

He also hoped that the people would observe the rule of law strictly after the NCPO transfers its power to the elected government.

“The big question is how to make the law sacred and prevent the country from stepping back towards the vicious circle of conflict,’’ he said.

He said political parties have been planning long-term solutions to solve the country’s problems such as water shortages, increasing production capacity, providing welfare for the elderly, economic reform and economic stimulus.

“Economic stimulus alone is not sustainable. We must find sustainable solutions to address our economic problems,’’ he said.