PROFILE
Noranit fits bill as CDA chief
Constitution Drafting Assembly chairman Noranit Setabutr, walks with his deputies Seri Suwanpanont, left, and Decho Sawananont after they were elected to the posts yesterday.
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The unopposed election of Noranit Setabutr as chairman of the Constitution Drafting Assem-bly (CDA) came as no surprise, given his academic background and a career that has seen him hold several important positions.
He was mentioned as a possible chairman even when the CDA was being set up. The 65-year-old has served as a member of the Anti-Money Laundering Office and of the National Counter Corruption Commission. He was appointed secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute in February 2003 in place of Borwornsak Uwanno, who quit to take up a government post. Noranit is a close associate of Borwornsak, who returned as secretary-general of King Prajadhipok's Institute after quitting politics last year and was later appointed to the National Legislative Assembly. Borwornsak is known to be a close aide of NLA speaker Meechai Ruchuphan, who was once his teacher, so it is likely that Noranit is familiar with Meechai as well. With his election as CDA chairman, Noranit now has two roles in the country's dual-track political reform. He also chairs a government-appointed committee tasked with planning the establishment of the Political Development Institute. Noranit has held several other important posts, including dean of the political science faculty at Thammasat University, where he also served as rector. He earned a master's degree in diplomacy and world affairs at Occidental College in the US and another degree in comparative politics from Columbia University. Even though Noranit did not participate in the drafting of the 1997 constitution, he was an appointed senator when the 1997 constitution was being drafted and was among those who backed the charter draft. He recently conducted several seminars on to how improve the constitution, both before and after the September 19 coup.
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