Advocacy group forms to push for transparency in referendum

Platform of Concerned Citizens, whose 100 members include academics, politicians and human rights campaigners, yesterday held its first press conference and a seminar on the potential implications of having an additional question in the upcoming referendum on the draft charter.

The event was held at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Political Science.

The group said opponents and supporters of the draft should be able to voice their opinions in line with the law and discuss the draft content without information being distorted, according to the group’s statement, which was signed by 104 members. 

The group, led by Human Rights Lawyers Association president Pirote Polpetch, also voiced concern over the “attitude adjustment” sessions aimed at activists opposed to military rule.

He said trying to silence people reduced the legitimacy of the referendum. 

Pirote said solutions for the future of the country in case the draft failed to pass the referendum should be clarified and open to public participation so people would have choices prior to the vote. 

Doing so would mean the future drafting process and the draft could win the people’s support and be acceptable to all parties, he added. 

The group wants the referendum to be in line with international standards, given that it could be a key factor influencing the future of the country.

The group also said having an additional question on the referendum could affect how people |vote.

Asst Prof Attasit Pankaew of Thammasat University’s Faculty of Political Science said the question could result in voters being distracted and their decision might not be free from influence, which could affect the result of the referendum.

The biggest concern centres on whether people really understand the question and its implication, the professor said.

The Constitution Drafting Commission has finished crafting the new charter draft, which stipulates a five-year transitional period when 200 of 250 senators could be directly selected by the National Council for Peace and Order. 

The additional question on the referendum – proposed by the National Legislative Assembly – relates to whether senators would have the authority to select a prime minister in cooperation with members of the House of Represen-tatives. 

 

Not enough information

Trakoon Meechai, a political scientist from Chulalongkorn University’s Political Science Faculty, said there had not yet been sufficient information available |for people to make a decision on |why they should endorse the question. 

Trakoon said there had been insufficient logical reasons offered to justify the question, so people had been left in the dark regarding the issue.