Commissioners cling to jobs
The three remaining election commissioners yesterday continued to defy calls for their resignation, saying even if there was only one of them, the Election Commission could still carry out its role.
Commissioner Prinya Nakchudtree said the three would not quit before the election on October 15 as they wanted it to be completed as soon as possible to allow politics to return to normal. Despite the opposition to them, Prinya said the commissioners had decided to stay on. Resigning would only delay the election and benefit some groups, he said. "We are just doing our work while critics complain as usual. We welcome positive advice on what we should do. We'll listen to such advice to make sure the election goes well," Prinya said. Even if one more commissioner resigned, or if only one commissioner remained, he said, the EC would still be able to work. Two new members could be appointed as a balance to the three incumbents, he said. Therefore instead of the three resigning, two new commissioners should be appointed. "If the commissioners were to resign today, the election on October 15 might not happen as the selection [of replacements] would take a long time," he said. Sathien Viriyapanpongsa, The Nation
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