Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan also said reform plans would help concerned agencies including the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to accomplish a peaceful transitional period and the 20-year national strategic plan.

Prayut made the remarks after the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday, during which the Cabinet was scheduled to look at the charter’s content to determine its own recommendations for the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC). However, Cabinet members decided to submit their version after next week’s meeting.

Prayut said reform schemes should be enforced through laws, procedures and measures, but more importantly they should be in line with the 20-year national strategy as well as the National Economic and Social Development plan prepared by the Office of the National Economics and Social Development Board.

“There is no hidden agenda to grab power [but] the reform plans should be carried out,” he said.

The plans as well as the timetable for implementation should be stipulated in the transitory provisions or relevant organic laws,Prayut said, explaining that he did not want the charter to be amended too often.

Also, he said he wanted the legal and justice systems to be improved, confidence among independent agencies boosted, and measures to limit future conflicts specified in the charter draft. These are the root problem areas, he added.

He expressed satisfaction with the charter in general, and said it did not limit people’s rights and freedoms as has been expressed by some people.

Among other concerns including the PM’s access to power, Prayut said he wanted the charter to be in line with international norms and urged people not to worry.

“The political sector would be the one which chooses prime ministerial [candidates]. Don’t be afraid or worried about it. And don’t choose me. I won’t let them choose me,” Prayut added, referring to concerns that the new PM’s access to power would allow an “outsider” to enter politics.

Despite chief drafter Meechai Ruchupan’s opinion that the road map might be extended, the prime minister yesterday stood firm saying the election would take place in July of next year and the results, as well as the establishment of a new government, could be expected no later than September. “The sooner, the better,” he said.

He said he wanted as many people as possible to exercise their voting rights on the date of the referendum.

However, he declined to reveal his back-up plan to proceed with the election next year if the draft charter does not pass a referendum, saying that if he made his plans public then his opponents could use them against him.

The Cabinet’s collective recommendations on the charter draft will be submitted to the CDC by February 14 as the prime minister attends a US-Asean meeting in the United States.

Meanwhile, CDC chairman Meechai said criticism of the draft had not discouraged him. Many critical comments had been made out of mere “aversion” without considering the draft, he said, but added that he did not know how to solve the problem.

However, he added, the CDC was trying to listen to and gather all comments, including those made on social media forums such as Facebook.

Regarding comments about the limitations of rights and freedoms in the current draft, Meechai said he wanted everyone to understand that the CDC had just taken a different approach to writing a constitution for the sake of the people, who would be able to enjoy their rights and liberties.

The CDC will meet the National Legislative Assembly and the National Reform Steering Assembly today to discuss the content of the charter before both bodies make their own recommendations by next week.

He was responding to an incident yesterday when United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) leader Jatuporn Prompan was escorted by military officials to the First Army Region after he announced he would campaign to have the public reject the draft in a referendum.

Prawit said methods used to criticise the charter must be civilised. “Do not use a word such as dictatorship. Do not meddle in the National Council for Peace and Order work. It is not the time to instigate protests or rallies,” he said.

He added that the government would “invite” anyone to have their attitude adjusted if they continued to misbehave.

He said critics of the charter draft must use reason and not instigate conflicts. “The charter is important and they should criticise the intention behind having this version of the draft. The country is in a transition, we must have an internationally accepted charter.”

He said political parties could announce their stances over whether they would accept or reject the charter draft if they resorted to logic and did not just insult it. “The Constitution Drafting Commission [CDC] are senior figures of the country that deserve respect and moral support. They have the intention to make the country move forward and not to bully anyone. What is clear in the charter is an anti-graft mechanism. It is an acceptable version to me. The CDC has tried its best drafting it,” he said.

Responding to concern that the writing of organic charter laws would delay the election, the deputy PM insisted that the democracy roadmap would not be deferred and the general election must be held next year.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party deputy leader Ong-art Klampaiboon said his party would not team up with the Pheu Thai Party to oppose the charter.

Pheu Thai Party caretaker secretary general Phumtham Wechayachai had said Pheu Thai would ask the Democrats to join forces to reject the draft.

Ong-art said the draft had not been finalised and he believed it would be improved after a review.

Col Winthai Suvaree, spokesman for the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), said he had received a report that the summons was due to Jatuporn’s frequently expressed opinions about the recently released draft charter.

For instance, Jatuporn had condemned the draft for “robbing rights from people”, Winthai said, adding that statement showed |”inappropriate”, mixed-up views on politics and the charter agendas.

However, a source from the First Army Area said Jatuporn was wanted for comparing soldiers to troublesome hooligans during an appearance on Peace TV

This was despite a previous promise to officers to curb his rhetoric, the source said.

Jatuporn told The Nation after meeting with the military that the summons might have been prompted by his response to a statement by Wanchai Sornsiri, a member of the National Reform Steering Assembly, who had said on TV that politicians objecting to the draft were merely “ghosts shuddering due to holy water”.

“I then said that he was rather a ‘dog shuddering due to hot water’,” Jatuporn said.

“I was talking about Wanchai, but it seems the military took that I meant the premier.”

“Tell me how this draft is cruel,” the premier said at his weekly press briefing when asked of his thoughts of comments by the Constitution Drafting Commission chairman Meechai Ruchupan, who said that the ’more cruel version of charter’ would be active if this draft is voted down in a national referendum.

“They talk about the new authority of the Constitution Court. They say it will be overwhelming. But tell me, who else will end all the crises?” Prayut continued. “The Court could do nothing prior to May 22 [2014], and I had to come to put an end to it. Did I ever want to?” he exclaimed.

The premier’s mood in the morning was already soured by the media questions in regard to the water management plan, but PM Prayut stopped short to say anything, when asked what set him off. “Stupid. Try finding an answer yourself (rather than asking everything). Aren’t you all already smart?” Read the news. I do, and that’s why I know things,” he uttered in a verbal tirade.

A source close to the premier said that Prayut was irritated by news on the charter draft and election, as well as reshuffle of permanent civil servants, especially military officers.

On the same day, Government Spokesperson Maj General Sansern Kaewkamnerd asked media to lift their working standards and reform themselves.

They should also not let people with hidden agendas manipulate them to spread distorted information, that will only destroy the Kingdom’s images, Sansern said.

The media should also be more careful with reporting, he said.

“For instance, discussions on the charter draft via the media were shallow, without attempts to understand that it is designed to prevent [political] conflicts,” he said.

The group strongly disapproved of the draft, and noted four major flaws, after the Constitution Drafting Commission led by Meechai Ruchupan completed its first version of a new charter with 270 Articles.

The group said firstly, the draft deprived people of their rights and liberty – unlike previous charters that had given the people a right to manage natural resources and the environment.

Second, it said the draft reduced the power of the people and their political participation, as well as their power of checks and balances. The proposed election system would weaken political parties and enable extra-constitutional powers to interfere in the political system, it said.

Third, it said the draft provided too much power to the Constitutional Court and independent agencies to check elected governments.

Fourth, it gave immense power to the Senate, which could appoint members to independent agencies. However, the Senate was not accountable or linked to the people because it was not directly elected by them.

“These four flaws reflect the fact that the charter draft seeks to reduce the power of the people and empower the elite or the leading class. This charter belongs only to a small group of people, not people nationwide. If the draft were put to use, it would plunge the country into a violent, deep and complicated division.”

Former National Reform Council member Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, who led the political reform committee of the now-defunct council, said that if the Meechai charter draft was approved, it would be torn up because it was almost impossible to amend it.

Article 23 stipulated that to amend the charter, more than half the total votes of Parliament were needed and one-third of the Senate must support the amendment. And, more than 10 per cent of political parties that have more than 10 MP seats must support the charter amendment.

The charter draft also required a public referendum to be held if the amendment touches on the essence of the charter.

“This type of charter cannot bring about reconciliation and it has too many hidden agendas,” he said.

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.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha did not confirm if the administration’s road map would be extended, as suggested earlier by drafting chairman Meechai Ruchupan. However,Prayut confirmed the election would take place next year.

The Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) statement was made yesterday by spokesman Norachit Sinhaseni after a storm of criticism about the new draft.

Norachit said: “That is an opinion. Many people agree the 1997 charter was good. For the current draft, we have tried to improve [and learn] what happened or what brought us to this point.

“The people want honesty. So, we have tried to make it happen. But it is not under our power [to opt for the 1997 charter if the draft has failed].”

The spokesman said people could work on articles in the constitution. If anyone sees worthwhile points in previous charters, they could propose them to the CDC, as the drafters were open to recommendations, he said.

Contentious points include the prime minister’s access to power. Many fear that the process under which a new prime minister is appointed would allow an “outsider” to lead the country. There are also concerns that independent agencies could be given excessive power under the new draft.

The spokesman said yesterday the drafters had, in fact, not discussed those issues in detail.

Norachit affirmed that candidates to be premier must initially be proposed by political parties themselves. After that, they have to be approved by more than half of members of the House of Representatives. So, he said, the prime minister could not be an “outsider”.

In regard to independent agencies, Norachit said they had not been given more power than they already have. The drafters had only stated their roles and authority more clearly, he said.

Commentators, including the other four “rivers” of power, have until February 15 to submit their reactions to the draft after it was released last Friday. In the meantime, the drafters will work to publicise the draft.

Prayut said an election would be held next year, but did not specify which month.

He refused to say if the government’s timetable would be affected because of the estimated eight-month period it will take to write organic laws. He said he did not know how many laws there were, or whether the drafters could expedite their work.

Meanwhile, Deputy PM Wissanu Krea-ngam said he would meet with the Election Commission (EC) and other related agencies to consult on how best to hold the referendum on the charter draft.

The EC’s proposed rules will allow campaigns to take place but do not specify if people who cause a disturbance will face penalties. A new law was needed to address that possibility, he said.

The Army, meanwhile, will instruct military officers to encourage people to vote in the referendum. It will also invite the EC to give a lecture on the new charter to various unit chiefs, so they can better understand the content, a source in the Army’s unit chief meeting said.