Growing calling to close any adjustments
Opposition is growing to the opposition’s attempts by the ruling Pheu Thai Party and the main opposition People’s Party ( PP ) to change certain provisions of the 2017 constitution, particularly those that pertain to the moral standards for political officeholders.
On Saturday, a senator and coalition partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, joined growing demands to stop any modifications to these contract provisions.
They were responding to Pheu Thai’s distribution of its limited contract article bill to the House next Wednesday, which followed the PP’s distribution of a bill that was related last week.
According to House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, the Lower House’s debate on the bills would probably start in the middle of October, if not sooner, but most likely not later than this month as formerly reported.
Part 160, which specifies requirements for those wishing to be cabinet ministers, is one of the contract provisions that needs to be changed.
It specifies that they must be blatantly fair and that they must not have engaged in any serious ethics-related offenses against political officeholders.
Pol Col Kob Atchanakitti, a lawmaker known to be affiliated with the so-called “blue” station, a guide to Bhumjaithai, opposed the program to alter contract rules regarding ethics for democratic office-holders.
“Ethics are a major concern for officials. If they do n’t have ethics, they should quit politics and stay at home. He said,” Parliament is certainly a place where they can accomplish whatever they please.”
Instead of attempting to amend the constitution, they should concentrate on addressing issues that affect persons. Political problems arise as a result of some politicians breaking the law, according to Pol Col Kob.
Paradorn Prissanantakul, Deputy House Speaker and Bhumjaithai MP, said any changes to the contract must be in the people’s best interests.
” Would the proposed contract change gain officials? No one pays attention to officials who are involved in the contract change. The people must have the ultimate say”, Mr Paradorn said.
The plan to update the ethical standards for social officeholders was opposed by Chaichana Detdecho, the deputy chief of the partnership companion Democrat Party.
He emphasized that those who enter government positions must be prepared to be scrutinized in accordance with the network’s moral requirements.
Paiboon Nititawan, secretary-general of the Palang Pracharath Party, warned that any effort by officials to amend the network’s moral standards for their own advantage could lead to a conflict of interest.
Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, deputy leader of the United Thai Nation Party ( UTN), another coalition partner, previously opposed such amendments.
He claimed that Sections 160( 4 ) and ( 5 ) of the charter’s original purpose prevented those who did not uphold certain moral standards from holding public office. Any attempt to denigrate this might make it easier for those with weak morals to rise to power, he said.
Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong previously supported amending the charter’s ethics guidelines for political officeholders, arguing that the definition of “honesty” set forth in those guidelines is ambiguous.
However, in what seemed to be a turnaround, Pol Col Tawee, leader of the Prachachart Party, said on Saturday he agreed with maintaining the ethical standards, though he emphasised that such an ethical code must be clearly defined and written so it can be used as a reference.
Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn earlier warned that any attempts to rewrite the charter, particularly those that deal with the issues of ethics for politicians and the authority of independent agencies, might have failed.
Mr. Somchai cited the Pheu Thai Party’s earlier attempt to pass a bill similar to that during the Yingluck Shinawatra administration, which sparked widespread street protests and led to the coup that ended the Pheu Thai-led government in 2014.
The blanket amnesty bill was viewed as a legal ruse to deceive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra into giving her older brother a face.