Pheu Thai joins Democrats on charter referendum

As complaints against the draft constitution grow louder, the Phue Thai Party has joined the Democrats in calling for a referendum. The parties, differ, however, on which alternative charter should be adopted.

Please join us on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/bangkokpostlearning

Pheu Thai Party legal expert Pongthep Thepkanchana at the Bangkok Post calls on the government to let the public choose between two charter choices – the 1997 charter, dubbed the people's charter, and the 2015 version currently being drafted. Photos by Kosol Nakachol

Pheu Thai backs charter referendum

Nattaya Chetchotiros,
Aekarach Sattaburuth

The Pheu Thai Party has joined the growing ranks of people calling for the draft charter to be put up for a national referendum.

In an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post, Pheu Thai legal experts, led by Pongthep Thepkanchana and secretary-general Phumtham Wechayachai, insist a referendum must be carried out — and the public should be given a choice of an alternative if they don't like the one currently being written.

Asking the public to simply accept or reject the new charter is not enough, they say.

The voters should be given options and allowed to pick a version of a charter — for example the 1997 version — if they disagree with the coup-sponsored draft.

The experts' suggestion is in line with what the Democrat Party has proposed, but the Democrats called for the 2007 version, which was abolished after the May 22 coup, to be one of the choices.

According to Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, there is a chance for a public referendum because National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has never ruled it out.

Mr Abhisit outlines his support for a referendum in a meeting with the Bangkok Post on March 6.

Mr Abhisit outlined his support for a referendum in a previous interview with the Bangkok Post, saying it will not only ensure the legitimacy of the new charter, but it will also help quell any suspicions the charter has been designed to allow the coup-makers and other bodies set up after the coup to prolong their hold on power.

The growing push for a referendum comes as the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC), headed by Borwornsak Uwanno, is close to completing the first draft of the document.

The summary of the new charter's main objectives has been forwarded to the National Reform Council (NRC) who under the interim charter will decide whether to accept or reject the draft charter.

Mr Pongthep, a former deputy prime minister and Pheu Thai member, said voters should also be allowed to pick the charter they prefer if they choose to turn down the new charter.

"Do the people have a choice, a good choice, when they reject the draft charter? It shouldn't be like the last referendum in which the people had no idea what was waiting if they voted down the 2007 charter.

"Is it possible to adopt the 1997 version if the people don't like the new one? If we agree to do this, the people have a choice," he said. Mr Pongthep said the Pheu Thai Party prefers the 1997 version of the charter over the 2007 version because the 1997 charter is widely known and accepted as "the people's charter".

However, he said it is not possible to adopt the 1997 version in its entirety because some of its content would have to be revised to make the charter up to date with the current needs and circumstances in the country.

The 2007 constitution, on the other hand, is the result of a coup that overthrew the Thaksin administration in September 2006.

Even though it was accepted in a referendum, the people were forced to vote for it, he said.

สามารถฝึกอ่านออกเสียงและดูคำแปลได้ที่ : http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/498025/pheu-thai-backs-charter-referendum