THE call for selected senators has gained momentum with National Legislative Assembly (NLA) President Pornpetch Vichitcholchai yesterday voicing support for the idea, which has been backed by key government figures.

Prime Minister and National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) head PrayutChan-o-cha and Deputy PM Prawit Wongsuwan have called for selected senators for a five-year transitional period after the next election. They say selected senators are needed to ensure the post-election government will implement national reforms and strategies.

Pornpetch recommended yesterday that the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) consider plugging “holes” in the section in the 2007 Constitution about selection of the Senate and adopt it in the charter draft.

He warned that people who distort the content of the constitution draft could face lawsuits, as the NLA will soon deliberate on a referendum bill that will include penalties for people if their actions are deemed to be attempts to make the referendum fail.

Pornpetch agreed with the CDC about the idea of having the Senate represent social or occupational groups. He suggested that to ensure that senators were specialists, they should be recruited and appointed by a selection committee just like the 2007 charter, noting that the drafters should fix the 2007 charter’s “weak spot” and not have to go as far back as to the 1978 or 1932 charters.

He noted weaknesses in the CDC proposal for elections of representatives from various groups or professions for the Senate. First, those elected to sit in the Upper House could possibly not represent the social or occupational group that they had applied for.

Second, such a process could leave a loophole for bloc voting, as occurred in many agencies. And lastly, Pornpetch said failed candidates might file lawsuits after not winning election, which could cause delays in the Upper House opening and meeting.

Critics have alleged that some NLA members want to be selected to become senators in the next Upper House.

However, Pornpetch declined to answer when asked whether the Senate selection committee would be controversial as the “Seven Saints” in the 2007 Constitution. (The selection committee under the 2007 charter was mocked as “morally superior” because they had the authority to select senators for the whole country.)

Aside from that, Pornpetch said the NLA’s additional question in the referendum should be one that helps the country move forward. But he admitted some NLA members feared that an extra question could confuse voters and may affect the charter draft.

Political parties not happy

Asked whether the question would be about the “national government for reconciliation”, the NLA president replied that the assembly had to consider the referendum question based on whether it would have an impact on the charter draft and if it was a public concern. If not, the NLA would not propose such a question.

Meanwhile, the country’s two largest political parties – Democrat and Pheu Thai – yesterday criticised the junta’s proposal for a selected Senate to stay in power for a five-year transitional period after the election.

Democrat lawyer and spokesman Rames Rattanachaweng said that the powers-that-be could not deny they were trying to retain power and that they were addicted to it.

Rames said if speculation that the NCPO wants to bring back the 1978 Constitution, under which senators and MPs had similar authority, was true, it could be said that democracy had already died in this country.

The democrat spokesman went on |to say that the constitution should |conform with international standards. If the charter drafters follow the NCPO’s demand he would be another person to vote against it in the referendum.

Former Pheu Thai Party MP Somkid Chuakong said that the selected Senate proposal was an attempt by the NCPO to overrule a future elected government because senators would have the authority to appoint commissioners to independent organisations, which sometimes have more power than the executive body.

He said if a selected Senate was really necessary, it should have the authority to pass laws only, adding that he did not wish to see the CDC write the draft as the NCPO has suggested.

Somkid said the junta was trying to cling to power and only used talk about “reform” as an excuse to stay on longer.

The stipulation had drawn criticism that the drafters were making it too difficult to amend the constitution, considering it had many controversial points that may need to be amended later.

Some had said that it would be impossible to amend the constitution when only one MP from a small party objected, because of the stipulation that 10 per cent of MPs from all parties had to approve the proposed amendment.

CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarit said yesterday that though the panel was seeking to rewrite the clause, they would try to maintain the principle that MPs from the ruling and opposition parties agree on any amendments. It should reflect every party’s demand, he added.

The other contentious points concerning constitution amendment, including the requirement of one-third of the Senate approving a proposed amendment and the amendment to change politicians’ qualifications must enter a referendum would remain unchanged, Udom said.

Further details would be discussed and resolved this week, the spokesman said yesterday.

He said drafters would deliberate on the issue of reforms this week.

The National Legislative Assembly, the National Reform Steering Assembly, and the Cabinet had proposed that a reform chapter be included in the charter draft.

Udom said yesterday that CDC had a different view on this, implying the panel did not want to include such an ad hoc point in the permanent clauses. However, they planned to write a reform chapter with concrete content and goal. Points with a definite timeframe would be written in the transitory chapter.

On the Parliament chapter concerning the origins of the Upper and Lower houses, the spokesman said there were no changes yet. They would deliberate on the electoral system this week.

On the controversial call by the powers-that-be for selected senators, Udom said the CDC viewed it differently. He said the drafters would like the Upper House to be a “people’s assembly”, without any personal interests, which could intervene in the selection process as proposed by National Council for Peace and Order figures.

The spokesman said he understood there might be concerns about security and peace in the future, though he stressed the CDC had not discussed about it.

The hilarious conversation when Natty, a pretty character, tells her close friend she wants to go to a toilet urgently while being stuck in traffic on the expressway, went viral in the form of a two-window strip.

In the original one, the first window shows Natty shouting: “I need to poo. I can poo into anything!” From the other window, Golf, her tootsie friend, shouts back, tightly hugging a luxury bag, “But you cannot poo into a Louis Vuitton!”

The lines between the two have been changed and are being shared widely with the hashtag #diarytootsies.

Hua Klom posted: Natty: “I have money. I can eat as much as I want!”

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Golf: “But you cannot get any fatter!”

Love-focused people shared some issues.

To Be Bride shared:

Natty: “I am ready. I can get married at any time!”

Golf: “But you can’t get married without a groom!”

Bameejung Shop shared:

Natty: “I’m grown up, I can have a crush on anybody!”

Golf: “But you can’t take this guy. He already has a wife!”

Some spoke the minds of salaried people.

Airy Potter shared:

Natty: “The government announced long holidays for five days in a row. I can go anywhere!”

Golf: “But it’s not your office’s holiday. You cannot go!”

Lady’s Story Club shared:

Natty: “I can check-in or share location anywhere!”

Golf: “But [you told your boss] you are on a sick leave!”

Krian Design posted:

Natty: “I am sleepy. I can sleep at any time!”

Golf: “But you haven’t finished your work. You cannot go to bed!”

Students also shared some pain.

Adisorn F Frii posted:

Natty: “I can study at any time!”

Golf: “But you cannot start studying only two hours before the test time!”

Some talked as pet lovers.

Jatuporn Arm Sunut posted:

Natty: “I am an adult. I can go on vacation as long as I want!”

Golf: “But you have many dogs to feed. You can’t go for too long!”

Rabbit Air Rabbitry posted:

Natty: “I can buy and raise as many rabbits as I want!”

Golf: “But you can’t buy any immature baby rabbit! [They still need to breastfeed.]”

Department of Intellectual Property:

Natty: “I have Internet connection, I can watch free movies on any site.”

Golf: “But you can’t violate their intellectual property!”

University lecturer Wara Chatratichart shared:

Natty: “I’ve got my PhD, I can do anything!”

Golf: “But you cannot teach without doing research and pursuing academic positions!”

Some brands took the opportunity to promote their products with Natty saying she can choose any products and Golf saying, “But you can’t miss … [the brand].”

Museum Siam posted:

Natty: “Today I will attend the exhibition on Myanmar Up-close.”

Golf: “It starts from March 15. You can’t go today!”

Another piece has been spread widely. It is not a conversation between Natty and Golf this time. The pictures were doctored by Huai Toon.

Former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra: “I can live in any country.”

PM Prayut: “But you cannot come back to Thailand!”

 

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and his deputy Prawit Wongsuwan are among the key figures from the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) who have suggested the measure.

Meechai Ruchupan, chairman of the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC), said yesterday the drafters would consider if proposed special mechanisms should be included in the new charter.

“In the original transitory clauses, there are ordinary mechanisms available,” he said. “But if special mechanisms are needed, we have to consider the reasons. We will mainly adhere to national interests.”

Previously, Meechai had maintained that the CDC would go ahead with its original draft, which requires senators to be indirectly elected from representatives of 20 occupational groups.

Speaking to reporters at Parliament, he said the drafters had little time left to complete the final version of the draft. “We will see how much we can revise the first draft,” he said.

The CDC has until March 29 to complete its final draft before it is voted on in a national referendum.

Meechai said the drafters had yet to obtain the NCPO’s charter suggestions in writing, adding that he expected to get the document within a day or two.

He said he did not feel any pressure regarding the NCPO’s proposals.

General Prawit said the NCPO would submit its suggestions in writing to the constitution drafters. The document will explain the rationale behind the suggestions, he added.

“If Meechai refuses to follow the suggestions, he has to explain why,” Prawit said.

Asked if he had any worries about the charter drafting process, Prawit said he had confidence in all 21 drafters. “I think they will do their best. I don’t think they will write a bad constitution,” he said.

Prawit shrugged off former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s criticism that the new constitution would give the courts an unusual amount of power.

He said that was just Thaksin’s personal view. “He should know that our country has problems that need to be solved,” he Prawit said.

Prawit reiterated his call for selected senators for a five-year transition period, which he described as a key turning point that would allow the country to move forward and for the reform effort to go ahead smoothly.

In response to speculation that NCPO members would be selected as senators, Prawit said it would depend on the selection committee. “Not all NCPO members will be selected, and the selection committee may not pick any of us,” he said.

His remarks come just two days after his arch-rival, self-exiled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, also hit out at the junta’s nearly two years in power, an indication of how Thailand’s bitterly divided political camps increasingly see eye-to-eye on military rule.

Thailand’s generals seized power in May 2014 saying they would end more than a decade of political instability that has dogged the nation and dragged down what was once one of Southeast Asia’s most vibrant economies.

Former Army chief turned Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has vowed to kick-start the economy and end the Kingdom’s cycle of political violence and corruption with a new constitution, the country’s 12th since 1932.

But in a speech to business leaders in Bangkok, Abhisit said the junta was failing to carry out necessary economic reforms, especially in the flagging agricultural and industrial sectors.

“Despite two years of relative calm and also initiatives being taken by the current government when it came to power, there has been too little progress even on this front, and now it’s almost in panic mode,” he said.

He was equally scathing of the junta’s new draft constitution.

“I think it’s also clear that we’re not going to get the kind of constitution that many of us want, whether in terms of democratic standards, whether in terms of a document that will lead to true reforms that are much needed, or even on the issue of so-called reconciliation,” he said.

Lost decade

Thailand has suffered a decade of turmoil as pro-democracy activists and rural supporters of the Shinawatra family vie for power with Bangkok’s arch-royalist elite and their allies in the military.

Many supporters of Abhisit, an Eton- and Oxford-educated Bangkokian who was in power from 2008 to 2011, were at the forefront of protests against Thaksin’s sister Yingluck, and cheered the 2014 coup that toppled her government.

But even the military’s natural allies have begun to chafe under the junta’s protracted rule, and Abhisit’s remarks mimic recent comments by Thaksin on the Army.

In a speech and a series of press interviews in New York this week, Thaksinaccused the military of clinging to power and said the generals had little to show for their time in office.

Abhisit also hit out at the military’s claim it was rooting out graft after a series of corruption scandals enveloped senior military officers.

“Given some of the things that have already happened, I’m not so sure they can say they’re better than politicians. And I’m talking about corruption, I’m talking about abuse of power, he told delegates.

Speaking to AFP after the speech, Abhisit ruled out meeting Thaksin.

“I don’t see the need for that,” he said.

But he said he would meet his political opponents if they “move beyond the interests of the Shinawatra family and Thaksin’s agenda”.

Asked whether ordinary Thais were tiring of the military he said: “I think the Thai people in general still feel that General Prayut means well, he’s serious, he’s blunt, straightforward and that he wants to do good things. And that’s why I think he’s been allowed to carry on.

“But in terms of concrete achievement of what’s been done I think even people who support him find it hard to identify those accomplishments,” he added.

Puangtip Boonsanong, Wiwat’s chief lawyer, told The Nation that the lawyer team was considering what type of guarantee could be used for the bail application, and the bail bond had emerged as one of the choices as suggested by one of Wiwat’s key supporters.

“We have not finalised the matter yet, but it [the bail bond] is under consideration,” she said. “If picked, the insurance [premium for the bond] would account for around 10 per cent of the bail [amount], or around Bt400,000.”

On March 3, Wiwat was sentenced to life imprisonment, commuted to 37 years and four months, for murder, attempted murder and possessing and carrying a gun and ammunition in public places without permission. The charges also related to carrying a gun and ammunition while the country was under an emergency decree.

He shot at people during a clash in February 2014 amid the “Bangkok shutdown” orchestrated by opponents of the elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra. During the shooting he wore a balaclava and had his gun covered by a large popcorn bag.

He fired at a group of people who clashed with People’s Democratic Reform Committee protesters against the Yingluck government. He claimed he was guarding the protesters.

Several advocate groups that sided with the now-defunct PDRC have expressed a wish to help Wiwat and his family. But the convicted killer said he would not receive any aid as he did not want others to take advantage of his name, Puangtip said.

“He insisted that the management of donations would be taken care of by the lawyer team and Buddha Isara [a prominent monk who was a leader of a PDRC alliance group]. And at the moment, we have not yet called for any aid,” she said.

Buddha Isara has been giving Wiwat Bt15,000 per month, she said.

Puangtip on Sunday spoke with representatives from the Chulalongkorn-Thammasat University Network, and Chai Rachawat, a prominent political cartoonist, to discuss ways to help Wiwat.

They reportedly resolved to use an individual account to receive donations. However, on Monday the lawyer said that was incorrect in a Facebook post, adding that Wiwat would not accept any donations.

She expects to appeal against the verdict and bail Wiwat out in the next couple of months.

She said she would petition the court to accept the bail application as Wiwat would not flee, adding that the bail request would be considered when tabled with the appeal.

On Tuesday around 200 supporters who regard themselves as PDRC visited Wiwat at Bang Kwang Central Prison, after rumours he had been abandoned by the PDRC. Five were allowed to meet him including his wife.

The vote was 168 for with five abstentions.

Under the plan, the PSACC will no longer be under the Prime Minister’s Office and is expected to become more independent.

Its secretary will be empowered to kick-start initial investigations on behalf of the PACC committee and have access to evidence.

The committee will comprise five members selected from 15 individuals nominated by the Cabinet, the National Anti-Corruption Commission, and the Auditor General Office.

The PACC was first established under the same Act in 2008 to handle corruption cases concerning officials ranked C8 and lower.

An official from the office called a Government House reporter by telephone to reprimand her for breaking the rule. The official insisted she adhere strictly to the rule, insisting that the “four-question rule” applied at all times.

She explained to her that reporters could only ask one question at a time, and the entire group could ask no more than four questions per session, the reporter said.

The official also told her that she would call on other reporters to cooperate.

The government spokesman team has been asking reporters to stick with the four-question rule since last month, saying that the aim is to maintain order duringPrayut‘s daily press briefing sessions.

The rule was announced a week after the prime minister became notably furious at the reporters.

Some media organisations have opposed the rule, saying that it infringed on their rights to question the government.

Prayut has since answered only four questions in line with the rule until last Tuesday, when he appeared in a good mood and answered all queries that reporters, taking advantage of the situation, put forward.

FORMER prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has accused the junta of attempting to cling to power and cryptically refused to rule out a return to politics.

“If we look at their behaviour, [it is] as if they would like to stay as long as possible,” Thaksin said in an interview in New York yesterday, when asked how long he thought the military wanted to stay in power.

He added: “I’m not ruling myself out [of a return to politics] but I’m not having [an] ambition to do it again.

“I’m 67 already now. I want to live my life peacefully.”

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Having lived in exile overseas since 2008, the fugitive ex-leader said he wished he return home but would consider it only if it would “benefit the country and the people”.

He repeatedly expressed concern about the future of Thailand if the new draft constitution were adopted.

Earlier yesterday, Thaksin spoke at a talk organised by the World Policy Institute in New York entitled “Thaksin Shinawatra in Private Discussion”.

He said: “Due to the framework set out by the latest draft constitution, it is difficult to foresee a government that is responsive to the people and the challenges of the 21st century.

“The constitution shall protect the rule of law and provide at least a minimum level of freedom of speech that facilitates economic cooperation between the people and the global community.

“Against the transition and change, Thailand must re-evaluate its strength and weakness. The country shall find a sensible way to regain its political stability and economic dynamism.”

From the street, shouts of dozens of protesters could be heard as Thaksin began his speech. They were split into two camps – those welcoming him and those insisting he go to jail for corruption.

The former premier apologised to the well-heeled audience at the private club for the protesters but quipped that he hoped they were enjoying freedom of expression in the United States.

In his interview with the media at a New York hotel later that day, Thaksin said he did not believe the next general election would be held in 2017 as promised by the junta.

He said the junta had done “nothing on reconciliation” and was “not providing justice for all, just only trying to use the law to benefit their own politics” in the nearly two years since the coup.

And he warned that the junta could impede economic growth and foreign investment by fanning political uncertainty.

Thaksin repeated his call for talks with the military. “If you are worried about me, if you’re afraid of me going back to power, you talk to me,” he said.

He also expressed concern for his younger sister, ex-premier Yingluck Shinawatra, who has been put on trial for alleged negligence in connection with her government’s rice-pledging scheme.

“We are worried about the justice that she will be receiving,” he said, branding the junta’s ban on her returning to politics for five years “very ridiculous”.

Thaksin’s presence in New York is a continuation of his media campaign in recent weeks. He also gave a series of interviews to the international media in Singapore.