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Published on March 24, 2008

"Don't amend the charter because of personal whims," he said.

Ong-art was reacting to the People Power Party's call for the revision of the charter, seen as a bid to avoid the party's dissolution over electoral fraud charges.

"As part of the political system, the Democrats do not wish to see any party disbanded without justification," he said.

But a hasty move to change the law would not solve any problem, he said.

The 2007 Constitution and its organic laws came into force based on the idea of rooting out vote-buying and other electoral wrongdoing.

"I admit the charter's Article 237 on party dissolution is a strong medicine but I don't think it should be amended on an ad hoc basis," he said.

He suggested the involvement of the public to debate the direction of amendments. Relevant parties should debate how to prevent electoral fraud if the punishment by breaking up a party linked to cheating was cancelled, he said.

Democrat MP Juti Krairiksh said Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee had gone overboard in associating the fate of the main coalition party with the country's survival.

He said Surapong's questionable performance was the root cause of the wavering confidence of foreign investors and not the issue of party dissolution.

Surapong failed to explain his stand on the alien business law, his tax policies, his strategies for long-term economic development and his plans to finance mega-projects, he said.

Many past and present senators participated in a seminar in Pattaya to air their views relating to the charter rewrite.

Former senator Chumphon Silapa-archa said from his experience the amendment process would be lengthy and difficult.

He supported revising the provision on party dissolution on grounds that a legal leeway to easily disband a party would undermine political stability and hurt the political system in the long run.

He said it was unfair to punish a party for wrongdoing committed by a party executive on an individual basis. Every party would face an equal chance for disbandment at one time or another if the charter remains unchanged, he added.

Senator Kamnoon Sithisamarn said he disagreed if the charter rewrite was designed to save just one party, People Power.

Even if People Power could solicit 50,000 signatures from voters to endorse its motion for charter rewrite, it should heed the voice of 14 million voters who cast their approval for the charter in the country's first-ever referendum, he said.

Former charter writer Chuchai Supawong said Article 237 was written based on opinions solicited from public hearings across the country.

Campaign for Popular Democracy secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila said People Power was trying to put its interests above those of the country.

The Nation