Election could be delayed 60 days

Doubt grew yesterday over possible delay in the promised general election when the Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) controversially approved an extended deadline for the completion of the elections for both the House of Representatives and the Senate by another 60 days.

The earlier agreed 90-day deadline for holding the polls, reckoned from the day the organic bills on the election of members of both Houses come into force, was extended to 150 days. The bills can only be drafted after the promulgation of the draft charter.

Also yesterday, junta leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin said after consulting the Election Com-mission that it might be difficult to hold an election by the end of this year.

"I think it's better to say 150 days," said charter-drafter Praphan Naiyakovit, who is also an election commissioner, adding that there might be a problem in meeting the deadline otherwise.

Pairoj Phromsarn, a fellow charter-drafter, disagreed, alleging some hidden motive behind the move. No voting on the matter took place as the assembly approved the extension on an overwhelming majority.

The extension means the life span of the current regime may be extended by another 60 days. However, the assembly stressed that elections should be held as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, the CDA voted to include an article which will grant the Lower House a restricted authority to approve any privatisation bills in the future, with the state required to retain at least 50 per cent shareholding in all privatised enterprises.

The CDA yesterday also did not to limit the term of the current commissioners of the Election Commission and the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) after it lost a vote on whether it had a mandate to do so.

Election Commissioner Sodsri Satyatham, who is also both a CDA and a CDC member, lashed out at the majority of the drafting committee for proposing that the tenure of the current election and NCCC commissioners should be limited to half a term because they had been appointed after the coup and had thus come to office under special circumstances.

Sodsri pointed out that although they had been appointed after the coup, the selection process had been completed legitimately but for His Majesty the King's signature.

Debate persisted, and Sodsri eventually cast doubt on the legitimacy of the whole junta-appointed Constitution Drafting Assembly.

"Don't harbour the idea that you are legitimately appointed. You are here by grace of the Council for National Security, which pays your salaries," he told them.

Proponents of limiting the term of existing commissioners say that otherwise the public may accuse the assembly and drafting committee of self-interest. "They may say we set the stage ourselves", said CDA member Chermsak Pinthong.

A 56-13 vote allowed the current EC commissioners to complete their seven-year terms, and a 58-13 vote allowed the existing NCCC commissioners to stay for a full term too.

The CDC also had to backtrack on its last-minute attempt to put the provincial-level counter-corruption commission, supported by the draft constitution, under the full authority of the central NCCC as some members of the drafting assembly argued they had no authority to vote to revise articles agreed by the CDA earlier in the week.

CDA member Karun Sai-ngam called the attempt "unconstitutional".

"The CDC can't just do whatever it likes on a whim ... You cannot rewrite a verdict!" he said.

A few other CDA members supported Karun, and eventually the CDC conceded the point, though it won an acknowledgement from Karun and the assembly that the principle behind the creating of provincial-level anti-corruption commissions was not to have 77 independent commissions throughout the Kingdom.

"We can't have 77 independent organisations. I don't think we're that mad. It'd be impossible to select them all," said Chermsak.

Other issues approved yesterday were the requirement to have organic laws relating to telecommunication and broadcast reform promulgated within 180 days after the commission goes into operation.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation