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Published on September 14, 2007

The committee overseeing the drafting of three organic laws essential for the election tried and failed for the third time yesterday to resolve the issue over whether to allow the Army to submit more than one person as a candidate for the Senate.

Admiral Prasert Boonsong threatened to oppose the bill if the committee did not allow the Army, Navy and Airforce to each nominate more than one candidate.

Prasert said the Army ought to be able to nominate five candidates as there are 130,000 officers serving under the organisation. He proposed that any legally recognised organisation with 50,000 members or more should be able to

file five candidates - but no more.

The draft bill on elections and selection of MPs and senators rules that each single registered legal entity can only nominate one candidate to be selected as a senator.

The failure after nearly an hour of debate may have resulted from a lack of clear philosophy behind what is the real need for having to select nearly half the Senate, or 74 out of 150 senators.

Committee member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn opposed the proposal, saying it would enhance the presence of the military and bureaucracy in the Senate.

"Please consider it well," Somchai told fellow committee members. "Would it be problematic if the bureaucracy become too powerful?"

In a related matter, Somchai tried but failed to convince committee members that the draft bill should clearly state that the privacy of voters should be guaranteed along with the transparency of the counting process of ballot papers.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

 The Nation