Organic bills will be passed in time for election despite disagreement, says Meechai
CHIEF CHARTER drafter Meechai Ruchupan has insisted that his panel had no intention of dragging its feet to delay the election amid concerns that the last two organic laws could be rejected.
The two organic bills, on the origin of Senate and the MPs election, have passed all three readings by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) but the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) has exercised its constitutional right to object to some provisions.
The charter drafter said some clauses that had been altered by the NLA could be unconstitutional, such as waiving an anti-corruption measure based on the cross-selection of Senators from among 20 professions and allowing parties to use entertainment in election campaigns.
A joint committee has been set up to review the bills. Unless legislators can reach an agreement, the bills could be rejected, prolonging the current rule and delaying the promised election.
But Meechai said yesterday that no one should be concerned about something that had not yet happened.
He said he believed legislators would discuss the matter rationally rather than fight each other. It would only take a day or two to further amend the bills after the bodies come to an agreement, said Meechai.
Eventually if the CDC could prove its points, the NLA could agree, he said.