He rejected it, citing it did not respond to the country’s problems and challenges.

“Considering this … I will not accept this charter draft. This is the [sole] reason for me to consider whether I should accept this charter draft or not. It has nothing to do with politics,” Abhisit told a press conference.

“This draft… will not help us step across the old problems that we have, and that’s the reason I will reject it.”

Abhisit, highly expected to make a stance earlier as leader of one of the biggest parties in the country, stepped out yesterday to make his opinion clear.

Abhisit said he had made the decision in his capacity as party leader, sticking to the party’s ideology of serving the people through the democratic path. He based his stance on three main problems and challenges the country had been facing.

First, whether the draft had responded to the country’s development and served the people at large. In other words, has it given an opportunity for participation in any decision-making on public policies to make lives better or not?

Second, has the draft strengthened or weakened anti-corruption measures?

And third, has it come up with measures to resolve conflicts?

Abhisit said the fundamental element of the country’s participatory development was decentralisation. But he has learned that the draft’s guarantee of people’s rights and liberty has apparently gone backwards, even further than the 2007 constitution.

On the contrary, the draft has opened a way for the state to dominate any decision-making process, while limiting people’s participation through future law promulgation.

This condition would be hard to amend if the draft was passed at the referendum, he said.

Abhisit said the charter draft would not help tackle conflict and division. It had come up with a new mechanism of 250 appointed-senators, which could trigger new conflict, rather than allow normal checks and balances of the representative system to work.

The pre-referendum process, |he said, would add to conflict in years to come as it currently undermined legitimacy of the charter draft itself.

On corruption, the charter draft had removed the impeachment process, while relying heavily on two bodies – the National Anti Corruption Commission and the Court for Political Holders -which had been weakened following the new draft, he said.

Abhisit said considering all these reasons, and not using emotion or political gain, he would reject it.

Abhisit said he viewed that if the draft was rejected, it could offer an opportunity for the country to get something better.

“I can’t accept the draft only for the reason that if it is rejected, we will encounter something worse. On the contrary, if the draft is rejected the country will have a better opportunity.”

He allayed fears that this would lead to chaos, as some people had claimed, saying what many people wished to see was what was best for the country.

Abhisit suggested that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha take the lead in drafting a new charter if this draft failed to pass the referendum. He should stick to the road map to allay any fears, and allow people to take part from the beginning.

He said PM Prayut could start with the 2007 constitution as it was considered the best to guarantee people’s rights and liberties – a fundamental element leading to the country’s sustainable development path and true democracy.

“This stance is not a conspiracy theory of politicians vying for power or anything. No, it’s not. It has passed my thorough consideration, based on the use of reason and my party’s ideology.

“So, I would like you to take it back and find time to consider the essence of what I have shared today as I think that this is the heart of the issue – that we all must help the country to step [up from the old problems].”