THE CABINET will convene today to discuss feedback on the charter draft before making its recommendation to the Constitutional Drafting Commission (CDC).

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam yesterday said government ministers would not debate the draft’s clauses individually but would suggest possible revisions in principle.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said he would not propose any changes to the constitutional draft but would tell the CDC about the problems facing the country.

Meanwhile, National Legislative Assembly (NLA) president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai has disagreed with some assessments that the charter draft is weak on human rights.

He believes the draft clearly stipulates that the state has the duty to protect people’s rights and the government would be checked by independent agencies if it violates the rights and liberties of the people.

Key state agencies will question the CDC over whether the proposed mixed-proportional election system, the indirect election of senators and the provisions requiring each party to nominate three PM candidates are internationally accepted and suited to Thailand’s context.

The NLA, the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA) and the Cabinet will give their charter draft recommendations to the CDC by February 15.

Pornpetch said Prayut earlier stated that the charter must be internationally accepted and suited to the Thai context.

He said the assembly needed more clarifications even though the CDC had earlier defended a poll that showed citizens favoured the single-ballot election system.

Pornpetch said the proposal to have senators indirectly elected from 20 professional groups had sparked fears the process could lead to collusion or the rigging of elections.

He said he wanted to know what was the purpose of having each party nominate three PM candidates, and why so much power had been given to the Constitutional Court and the Administrative Court given that they were not accountable to the people.

Pornpetch said the NLA and the NRSA would meet tomorrow to discuss their recommendations on the charter and on Friday the NLA would discuss the points it wanted the CDC to change. CDC members would be invited to attend the meeting.

“I am confident the CDC will review and improve the charter draft,” he said.

NRSA secretary Kamnoon Sidhisamarn said the assembly would meet next Monday and Tuesday and its members would forward their comments on the draft to the CDC. The assembly has not yet decided whether to allow each committee to present their own recommendation or make joint NRSA resolutions, Kamnoon said.

NRSA political reform committee member Wanchai Sornsiri said the committee wanted the CDC to change the mixed-proportional election system as it believed the results of polls would not reflect the wishes of voters and the system made it easier to buy votes.