THE PHEU THAI PARTY yesterday rejected the charter draft and called on the electorate to vote against the draft in the public referendum even as the Democrat Party appeared to be split on whether to accept or reject the draft.

A statement issued by Pheu Thai said the draft violated democratic principles and was the product of a coup-installed government. It has been written by the CDC, appointed by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), and it caters to the desires of the NCPO more than the public interest, it said. The party said it rejected the charter draft because it would create more problems for the electoral and political systems.

The Democrats will hold a meeting next Tuesday to make a decision on whether to vote for or against the charter draft in the referendum, a party source said.

Opinion of party members appeared to be split with key party leaders seeming to favour rejection of the draft while young members appeared to accept it.

“Abhisit [Vejjajiva, party leader] has yet to show his clear stance but he appears to feel obligated to Suthep [Thaugsuban, former party secretary-general and anti-Yingluck movement leader], who wants the party to vote to accept the draft,” the source said.

Democrat deputy leader Jurin Laksanawisit will do a survey of the members before making the decision.

“The CDC is proposing a trial and error method with its new electoral system that has never been adopted anywhere in the world and takes the public hostage. The election system will result in a weak and unstable government that cannot bring about development of the country,” the Pheu Thaistatement said in strong criticism of the draft.

The party statement said Thais had lost flesh and blood in their lengthy political struggle to have an elected PM, but this draft paves the way for a non-elected PM to take the country’s helm.

“If the non-elected PM belongs to the NCPO, the junta will take absolute control of the country. The junta will steer the country in the direction it wants, not [where] |the public wants,” the statement said.

The statement said the charter draft included a mechanism to reduce the power of the people by creating a Senate with 250 appointed senators. They would have significant power to veto legislation of a government elected by the people. “The undemocratic charter will lead the country into an economic abyss because foreign investor confidence in the country will plunge,” the Pheu Thaiwarned.

“The charter draft also gives unprecedented power to the Constitutional Court – more than the government and Parliament. The court can impeach MPs, senators, the Cabinet and independent agencies. The court has often created a crisis of faith,” it said.

“The charter writers claim this draft was a ‘corruption buster’ aiming to block corrupt politicians from power. In fact the draft does not have any effective mechanisms to stop corruption but empowers permanent officials to have more political power,” according to the statement. The draft included “20-year national strategies” that would prevent elected governments from steering the country in the direction the public would want to go, as it would have to comply with the NCPO’s 20-year plan.

“This draft will lead the country backwards with some people offering an analogy that Thailand’s future will be like Myanmar’s 20 years [ago],” the statement said.

The draft would also bring about more political conflict and not bring about national reconciliation, the critics said.The party also suggested that the government adopt the 1997 charter temporarily and hold an election within six months.

CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan hit back at the Pheu Thai’s opposition to the charter draft, saying the party had rejected it several times even before its completion.

He refused to comment if the Pheu Thai statement would mislead the public, saying any decision was entirely up to the voters.

He expressed optimism that people would accept the charter draft if they wanted the country to move forward and to be governed under the rule of law.Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said he believed the Pheu Thai campaign for voters to reject the charter draft was illegal though it does not affect national security.

General Somjet Bunthanom, who chairs a special committee scrutinising the bill on a public referendum on the charter draft, said opponents and supporters of the charter draft are allowed to point out the drawbacks and disadvantages of the draft, but telling the voters to reject or accept the draft or distorting the content is illegal.

Abhisit said the party would make a decision on whether to accept or reject the charter early next month, after taking into account the country’s political situation. “Our ultimate goal is for the country to move forward with a sustainable democracy,” he said. Abhisit said he personally felt that the charter was a step back in terms of democracy, rights and liberty.

He pointed out giving a significant role to appointed senators against an elected government and the difficulty in amending the charter as some of the drawbacks of the constitution draft. He, however, thought the draft had a strong anti-graft mechanism.