Cabinet convinced it did nothing wrong in dissolving the House: source
Thai Rak Thai MP-elect Somboon Praiwan from Mae Hong Son, second right, wears a hill-tribe outfit while reporting to the House of Representatives with his family yesterday. A total of 480 of the 485 MPs-elect endorsed by the Election Commission have repor
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Cabinet secretary-general Bowornsak Uwanno has insisted the government did nothing illegal when it issued a decree to dissolve the House in February, a source said yesterday.
Speculation that any of the three top courts - Constitution, Administrative or Supreme - could nullify the April 2 election, alleging the government had illegitimately dissolved the House, was discussed in a closed-door Cabinet meeting yesterday in preparation for any possible outcome, said the source, who declined to be named. Bowornsak reportedly said the government had behaved strictly according to the law and political norms, not unlike previous governments. He countered an allegation that Thai Rak Thai, as the ruling party, had attempted to take advantage of other parties by setting the election date only 38 days after House dissolution, despite a law stating that it had to be held within 60 days. When then premier General Prem Tinsulanonda dissolved the House in March 1983, Bowornsak said, he set an election date just 30 days from the day of the dissolution, although the law allowed 90 days. Bowornsak ruled out a claim that the dissolution came about because of conflict between the legislature and the government. He said, for instance, then prime minister Anand Panyarachun dissolved the House in 1992, shortly after the "Black May" incident, to pave the way for a national election as a crisis of faith loomed over the country. Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra dissolved the House on February 24 while his opponents were campaigning at mass rallies around the country to unseat him. He said he wanted to return the power to the people, so they could decide whom they supported. Bowornsak said he believed the whole country would get bogged down in more confusion if the House dissolution's decree was nullified. He said at the forefront of the troubles was the fact the former government could not be returned to power, because the Constitution did not allow it.
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