Thai election winner Move Forward proposes Bill to cut off senators’ power in PM vote
BANGKOK: Electoral winner Move Forward Party submitted a draft Bill to cut off the Senate’s power in the selection of the prime minister, following its leader’s failure to secure enough votes from a joint sitting of parliament on Thursday (Jul 13).
Move Forward Party members submitted the draft Bill to Speaker of the House of Representatives Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Friday afternoon, aiming to revoke Section 272 of the Thai constitution, which empowers the Senate to jointly select the prime minister together with the House of Representatives until May 2024.
“We would like to call it an amendment to the constitution in order to return the power of selecting the prime minister to the people,” said Move Forward Party secretary-general Chaithawat Tulathon.
Members of parliament (MPs) and senators convened on Thursday to vote on Thailand’s next prime minister – two months after the general election on May 14 which saw the Move Forward Party emerge as the winner.
Prime ministerial hopeful and Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat was the sole candidate but failed to garner the requisite approval of more than half of the combined assembly.
The assembly comprises 500 MPs from the House of Representatives – the Lower House – and 249 members of the Senate – the Upper House.
For Mr Pita to become the prime minister, he must secure at least 375 votes from the existing members of both Houses.
However, he only managed to garner 324 votes on Thursday, missing 51.
A total of 705 parliamentarians took part in the prime ministerial selection. They included 182 people who voted against Mr Pita and 199 others who abstained.
Since the vote to elect a prime minister was unsuccessful, both Houses will reconvene on Jul 19 to revote.
In the event that none of the listed candidates can be appointed for any reason, at least half of the members of both Houses can request the National Assembly to start a process that could allow an “outsider prime minister’”.
Japan calls on China to approach Fukushima water release in ‘scientific manner’
TOKYO: Japan called on China to approach the release of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in a scientific manner at a meeting held between Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Chinese top diplomat Wang Yi on Friday (Jul 14). China has criticised Japan’s plan to release overContinue Reading
How Thailand’s prime minister race can take a whole new turn
After failing to win over conservatives in his first attempt to become prime minister, things are looking increasingly difficult for pro-democracy leader Pita Limjaroenrat to secure a victory even if he were to try again.
The parties outside of Mr Pita’s Move Forward-led coalition and the majority of military-appointed senators are opposed to his key campaign promise of amending the so-called lese majeste law that punishes anyone for defaming or insulting the King or other royals.
Also, the Harvard-educated politician risks disqualification as a lawmaker after the poll body found him in breach of election rules — saying he held shares in a defunct media company while running for public office. While he may still go for a second chance at premiership when parliament meets next on July 19, analysts expect support for Pita to wear thin within his alliance should he lose again; although there’s no limit on the number of re-votes he can seek.
“I think they will run him again,” said Kevin Hewison, emeritus professor of Asian Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Another attempt by Pita will probably harden the stance of conservatives and only weaken support for the pro-democracy alliance, according to Hewison.
The longer it takes for Thailand to form a new government, the more investors will lose confidence in the $500 billion economy whose expansion has been lagging emerging-market peers in Southeast Asia through the pandemic and after. Political wrangling between pro-democracy and conservative groups have also hurt the country’s stocks, bonds and currency markets.
Here are some other scenarios that could play out:
– Pita supports Pheu Thai
Mr Pita could step aside and instead support his coalition partner Pheu Thai, which finished second-place in the May 14 general election and is linked to exiled former leader Thaksin Shinawatra.
Isra Sunthornvut, a former member of parliament for the Democrat Party, said he wouldn’t be surprised if next week Mr Pita throws his support behind Pheu Thai to lead the government “for the sake of the country and democracy”.
The only challenge to this scenario is that Pheu Thai may find it difficult to muster support from the conservatives while still being an ally of Move Forward, which has refused to back down on its push to amend the royal insult law.
– Pro-democracy group splits
That could leave Pheu Thai inclined to consider breaking away from Move Forward’s coalition and try forming a government led by one of its three candidates for the post, including real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin and Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the youngest daughter of Thaksin.
Thaksin, who has been considering returning home, had previously said Pheu Thai would not support any attempt to reform the lese majeste law. That makes it easier for Pheu Thai to win enough support from the 250-member military-appointed Senate, helping put a new government sooner than later.
The private sector wants the new government to be in place as soon as possible, so our economy can continue to grow as expected, Thai Chamber of Commerce Chairman Sanan Angubolkul said Friday.
– Military-backed minority government
A third scenario involves the Senate supporting a minority government led either by Bhumjaithai’s Anutin Charnvirakul or one of the military-backed parties. That outcome, however, risks sparking protests by supporters of pro-democracy groups.
Since the Senate’s ability to vote for the prime minister expires next year, any minority government is at risk of falling in a no-confidence vote. To guard against that, it’s possible that the establishment may petition the courts to disband Move Forward as what happened in the past to their predecessor, using the push to amend the royal insult law as a pretext, and even annul the election result.
“But that might take some time,” Hewison said referring to the process of disbanding Move Forward and annulling the result. “That said, going to an election quickly is unlikely to produce a different result. But conservatives in Thailand are a balmy lot.”
However, any move to ban the nation’s popular politicians may lead to massive demonstrations. And this time the risks are even higher for the royalist establishment, as protesters have recently been much bolder in directly targeting the monarchy than in previous years.
Such a turn of events could end up hurting tourism, the only economic engine that’s firing on full cylinders and supporting Thailand’s growth amid a downturn in global demand for goods.
Lawyer M Ravi charged with slapping man near MRT station, shouting loudly in public
SINGAPORE: Suspended lawyer M Ravi is now accused of slapping a man near an MRT station and disorderly behaviour by shouting loudly in public.
Ravi Madasamy, 54, was charged in court on Friday (Jul 14) with one count of voluntarily causing hurt and one count of behaving in a disorderly manner.
Both charges arise from the same alleged incident, which occurred around 5.30pm on Jul 12 this year near Yio Chu Kang MRT.
Ravi is accused of causing hurt to a man named Sellvaraja T Muniyandi, by slapping him once on his left cheek. He also allegedly shouted loudly.
Ravi, who was previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, was ordered to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for medical examination.
He is due back in court later this month.
If convicted of voluntarily causing hurt, he could be jailed for up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.
The penalties for behaving in a disorderly manner in a public place are a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$2,000 or both for a first-time offender.
Repeat offfenders face double the jail term and a fine of up to S$5,000, or both – Ravi was previously convicted of a similar offence in 2004, his charge sheet stated.
This is the latest of Ravi’s legal troubles. In March, he was suspended from practising as a lawyer for the maximum of five years.
This was for misconduct including making “grave and baseless accusations of improper conduct” against the Attorney-General, officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Law Society.
Ravi, a lawyer of 20 years, frequently makes the headlines for his behaviour as well as for his representation of those on death row.
He was charged in December 2020 with criminal defamation of Law Minister K Shanmugam, but the Attorney-General’s Chambers later withdrew the charge and Ravi was given a conditional warning instead.
He has also been handed many sanctions for his conduct as a lawyer over the years. These include a 2007 suspension for being rude to a judge and a prohibition from applying for a practising certificate for two years for baseless allegations against a fellow lawyer and the president of the Law Society in 2016.
Thai lawmakers to hold new PM vote after reform candidate Pita stumbles
Thitinan said he expected Pheu Thai – a party that held office before the 2014 military coup but is now in an uneasy alliance with MFP – to field prime ministerial candidates of their own. If a Pheu Thai candidate won with the backing of conservative lawmakers, they may yetContinue Reading
Watch the video: K-pop supergroup BTS’ Jungkook releases solo single Seven
Jungkook, a member of K-Pop supergroup BTS, officially launched on Friday (Jul 14) his solo career with the release of single Seven, a track also featuring American rapper Latto.
BTS is on temporary break as a group with two of its seven members currently doing mandatory military service in South Korea, but other members are continuing to carry out solo projects and concerts.
The group have gained a huge international following after breaking ground for K-pop’s global success including in the US music charts and industry awards.
The video for Seven – described by his music label as an invigorating summer song – was also revealed on Friday and includes an appearance by South Korean actress Han So-hee.
His label BigHit is part of South Korean entertainment company HYBE and also manages BTS.
Ahead of his official solo debut, Jungkook previously released two free singles.
Fans have been camping out for days to get a chance to see the K-pop star perform his new song in New York’s Central Park on Friday.
Panama seizes six tonnes of illegally traded shark fins
CAPIRA, Panama: Police in Panama seized more than six tonnes of shark fins bound for Asia on Thursday (Jul 13), arresting five people in connection to the illegal trade, authorities said. The black-market shark fin trade is estimated to be worth US$500 million annually, and Panama last year spearheaded international effortsContinue Reading
Abolish senators’ right to vote on PM: Piyabutr
The Move Forward Party (MFP) should propose draft legislation seeking to abolish Section 272 of the constitution which gives junta-appointed senators the power to join MPs in selecting the prime minister, Piyabutr Saengkanokkul posted on his Facebook page on Thursday night.
If its attempt is not successful, Move Forward should then consider backing down from its bid to form a government with Pita Limjaroenrat as prime minister and instead take the opposition role – and patiently wait for a successful return “tomorrow”, he said.
Mr Piyabutr, secretary-general of the Progressive Movement behind the MFP, posted his message after Mr Pita’s bid to become prime minister failed to get sufficient votes from members of parliament, particularly senators, in a vote on Thursday.
The Move Forward leader received 324 votes in his favour, 182 votes against and 199 abstentions in the first prime ministerial vote. The result left him 51 votes short of his target. Of the 324 votes in support, only 13 were from senators.
Mr Piyabutr said that from the speeches made by members of parliament, it was clear that a large number of senators – the upper house members appointed by the previous miltary government that seized power in a coup – opposed Mr Pita’s nomination for a variety of reasons. Some of them openly disagreed with the nomination, while others opted to abstain from voting or did not attend the meeting.
He said it would be very difficult for these senators to change their minds and vote for Mr Pita in the next round.
In the speeches made by some MPs and senators prior to the voting, the constant thread was that they would not vote for Mr Pita because the Move Forward Party was persistent in its intention to amend Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law.
Mr Piyabutr mentioned the speakers by name. They included Withaya Kaewparadai, a United Thai Nation party-list MP, Chada Thaiseth, a Bhumjaithai Party MP for Uthai Thani, Chaichana Dejdecho, a Democrat Party MP for Nakhon Si Thammarat, and senators Khamnoon Sithisamarn, Seri Suwanphanon and Somchai Sawaengkarn.
Mr Piyabutr said Mr Withaya and Mr Chada, in particular, questioned why the MFP, despite knowing this obstacle, did not back down from its aim to amend Section 112, but instead insisted it could not do so as it had made it a policy in its campaign for votes.
“Therefore, it was clear there was no way for these MPs and senators to change their minds unless there were “new information or new signals” forcing them to do so, or when hundreds of thousand of people came out to apply pressure on them.
Without these events occurring, no matter how many rounds of voting take place, these people will never endorse Mr Pita for prime minister,” he said.
The Prograssive Movement key member said Move Forward would not succeed in the vote until the senators’ power to vote for prime minister under Section 272 expires in May next year. He doubted whether the MFP would be able to overcome the resistance, not to mention several rulings to be made by the Constitutional Court on cases against Mr Pita.
If Move Forward opted to invite more parties to join the eight-party alliance to increase the number of votes in support, Mr Piyabutr said he doubted any parties would cooperate since the Bhumjaithai, Democrat and Chartthaipattana parties had clearly stated they would not work with any party seeking to amend Section 112.
Mr Piyabutr said it would also not be possible for the MFP to back down and allow the Pheu Thai Party to take the prime minister’s post while it is still in the eight-party alliance. He doubted whether the senators would change their mindes because they wanted to see Move Forward completely excluded.
The Progressive Movement secretary-general said he talked to Parit Wacharasindhu, a Move Forward party list MP, and agreed with the latter’s opinion.
In Mr Parit’s opinion, Move Forward, with its 151 MPs, should propose a draft bill seeking to abolish Section 272 of the constitution, to rid the senators of the power to vote for the prime minister.
The draft bill should be submitted for deliberation by parliament as soon as possible. By doing this, he believed the process to abolish Section 272 could be completed in four weeks, Mr Piyabutr said.
“If the bill is rejected by parliament, the Move Forward Party could tell the people that it had tried to the best of its ability but faced tough obstacles. It would then be time for the party to move out.
“We would then be able to stand with heads high and be proud of being a ‘black sheep’ in Thai politics. We would continue to fight more strongly amid conflicts. If the 14 million votes today are not enough, we must make it to 20 – 25 million votes tomorrow,” Mr Piyabutr said.
Mr Piyabutr, a law expert, was banned from politics when the Future Forward Party was dissolved by the Constitutional Court ruling on Feb 21, 2020 for violating the election law on donations to political parties. Future Forward was relaunched as Move Forward, with Mr Pita as the leader.
Tesla to set up headquarters in Selangor this year: Malaysia PM Anwar
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Friday (Jul 14) said that electric vehicle company Tesla will be setting up its headquarters in Selangor this year.
The announcement came after Mr Anwar held a virtual meeting with Tesla and SpaceX chief executive officer Elon Musk.
The 25-minute meeting was also attended by Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil and SpaceX senior director Lauren Dreyer.
Mr Anwar said that he welcomed the electric vehicle maker’s decision to invest in Malaysia and stated the government’s support for the opening of the Tesla head office in Selangor.
The prime minister added that Malaysia will continue to strengthen its commitment to achieving zero-net emissions by 2050.
“Malaysia will continue to strengthen its commitment in the subject of net zero carbon emissions or ‘net-zero emissions’ as early as 2050.
“Malaysia has a plan and a comprehensive ecosystem, as well as competitive resources in supporting the clean energy industry including electric mobility,” said Mr Anwar.
He added that the two also discussed the participation of SpaceX in providing the Starlink satellite service to Malaysia.
Mr Anwar said that this can contribute to faster and wider internet access especially in rural areas as it required minimal physical infrastructure and land to improve the global internet network.
Starlink is described as a satellite constellation system that aims to deliver global internet coverage.
“This initiative will increase the ability and well-being of the people, especially from the aspect of education and the potential of agricultural technology and income generation,” said Mr Anwar.
Tengku Zafrul had on July 10 said that the collaboration between Malaysia and Tesla was not limited to the electric vehicle (EV) sector alone, but other sectors as well.
Tesla will officially be launched in Malaysia on July 20.
Earlier on Friday, Tesla had said in a tweet that its model Y car was available for order in Malaysia, its first model in the country.
It said that the first delivery of the car was likely to be early next year and priced from RM199,000 (US$44,000).
In June, Tesla held a walk-in recruitment day in Cyberjaya, Selangor for several positions.
Cyclists fined for first time since new group size rule introduced
During the operation, the officers also “conducted education outreach to raise awareness on cycling rules and guidelines”, said the police and LTA in their news release. “TP will continue to conduct enforcement operations against errant cyclists and will not hesitate to take action against them,” they added. The police hadContinue Reading