Abhisit cautious about reforms under charter

“Solutions to problems do not lie only in the rules but also in the people in society, who should put pressure on politicians and make them behave,” the leader of the Democrat Party said yesterday.
Political issues often do not spring from the charter or any law, but rather from the behaviour of political players, he said.
The drafters had aimed to improve politics with the new charter, which was promulgated last week, but there were no guarantees the new set of rules would settle future issues when the conduct of politicians was still not reformed, he added.
More importantly, he said, the new checks-and-balances mechanisms such as the powerful selected Senate could turn into a new source of conflict if abused. 
Society was the best determining factor to push politics in the right direction, Abhisit said.
“If the public can do that, then it will be the best policy to prevent similar problems. The government should raise awareness about this. There has been very little awareness in the past,” he said.
The veteran politician, who served as premier from 2008 to 2011, said the senators to be appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order should keep in mind that they represented the people, not the junta. 
The Senate members should always respect people’s decisions, he said.
Abhisit said he had remarked during reconciliation talks last month that if the reconciliation panel sought to have political parties sign a “social contract”, the junta-appointed Senate should be included and promise that they would not violate people’s wishes.
If the 250-member Senate acted as a political party, conflicts would re-emerge, so they should show self-discipline, he said.
“They should not forget that although they are sanctioned to vote for a prime minister, they will not have the ability to attend all Lower House meetings,” he said. 
“And even though they can vote for a prime minister, that prime minister cannot stay in power unless he or she is accepted also by the MPs.”
However, it was hard to envision the situation after the next general election at this point, he said, adding that more would be clear when politicians began to answer questions, although some answers might not be forthcoming.

Election date unsure
Politics would only become lively after the organic law for political parties is enacted, as activities were restrained by the junta’s ban on political gatherings, he said.
He added that agencies should be efficient and complete the drafting of organic laws before the 240-day deadline allowed by the Constitution of 2017.
However, the Democrat leader declined to comment on speculation that the next election could take place in August next year, saying the timeline allowed for a long delay but if the work was accomplished in a shorter time, everything could be brought forward.