Quote:Academics have warned the People Power party's (PPP) push to amend selected parts of the constitution is not meant for the public good and would be a step backwards.

Midnight University rector Somkiat Tangnamo told a seminar organised by the Thai Journalists Association that he objected to Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's casual approach to rewriting the constitution.

Mr Samak told reporters that amendments to certain articles in the 2007 constitution should be done without consulting the opposition or holding a public referendum, he said.

Mr Somkiat said such an approach would only steer the country backwards towards a system of dictatorial parliament.

He called for a new charter to be written, with the consent and participation from all concerned parties.

Thammasat University political scientist Kasian Tejapira agreed that the proposed amendments to the charter were only intended to serve politicians in power.

The rush to rewrite the charter ''without bothering the public'', as politicians put it, would leave the public in a lose-lose situation. Thailand would end up with semi-democratic and semi-liberal system, which is not of its people's own making. He anticipated several bitter stand-offs as a result of such a semi-democratic and semi-liberal administrative system.

However, Somchai Preechasinlapakun, dean of the faculty of law at Chiang Mai University, supported the PPP's bid to amend the charter in order to empower politicians. The 2007 constitution was the product of the coup and aimed at protecting the coup makers, he said. It would thus undermine politicians' power and create what he called unchecked bureaucratic authoritarianism.

He said if the present charter is left in place, political parties would grow weaker. They would lose their power of negotiation and be on the brink of being disbanded at any moment.

He said staging a coup is also guaranteed under the present charter. Article 309 legitimises all acts under the interim 2006 constitution and all related acts including the 2006 coup.

It's interesting to see Mr. Somkiat so concerned about "the country backward toward a system of dictatorial parliament." Indeed where was he and Midnight university when he and they were targeted buy a military dictatorship. Hiding in the weeds is where. It's funny that he's concerned about changing the new Military constitution when he was so silent when they made it. Is this hypocritical of what?

The PPP as the government should scrap the new constitution and all laws made by the military installed government including the 2006 interim constitution and reinstate the 97 constitution in whole. Then they should set up a group that is made up of all sectors of society without political or military involvement and make amendments to it.

Quote:
Small parties support charter amendments

A group of 15 small parties Thursday voiced support for constitutional amendments and lodged their petition via the Office of the House Speaker as none of them had won a House seat.

As representative of the small parties, Social Thai Party leader Chokchai Sutthawet said many charter provisions should be amended to better serve the public.

He urged for a curb on the leeway for party dissolution, arguing that Article 237 has made it too easy to disband a party.

Chokchai said the appointment of senators should be revised to eliminate the selection process in order to allow various professional groups to name their representatives in the Upper Chamber via a peerage vote.

He also stated the mandate of the Election Commission should be limited to the supervision of electoral process by delegating its regulatory duty on political parties to a new agency under the jurisdiction of Parliament.

The Nation