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Published on April 3, 2008

The People Power Party-led government should think carefully about the impact of its highly-publicised bid to amend the 2007 Constitution. Otherwise, the charter change bid may lead to unnecessary political confrontation. The campaign to amend the charter gained momentum after PM Samak Sundaravej publicly supported the bid to amend Article 237. Although some criticised the move as serving the government's  self-interest, some provided a sympathetic ear by saying if the Constitution makes it too easy for a party to be dissolved, then, the party stands little chance of developing into an institution.The PPP's bid, however, does not end there. The party announced plans to amend several articles focusing on seven points of the Constitution. Among these are Articles 237 and 309. Others are expected to include Article 163 regarding public participation in politics and Article 190 regarding international economic agreements. The government's move to amend the Constitution is seen as a bid to overturn the Council for National Security's orders, including the setting up of the Assets Examination Committee, which is currently investigating alleged corruption cases involving former prime minister Thaksin. However, the campaign to amend the charter could lead to unnecessary political divisions. Already, there are groups planning to rally for and against the charter change.

Yesterday, the debate over the Constitution heated up when PPP MP Karun Hosakul kicked out at Democrat Party MP Somkiart Pongpaibool in the MP lounge of the parliament building. Luckily, Karun narrowly missed Somkiart and he was pulled away by security officials and other MPs. If the confrontation goes further, it could lead to violence and instability. To propose a charter change only a few months after the election is not timely. The government should instead focus on boosting public confidence in the economy, assuring foreign investors of Thai political stability and creating harmony in a society which is marred by deep divisions.

However, the government has decided to go ahead with the amendment bid, failing to explain how it will benefit the public in general. Most see the bid as an attempt to rescue the PPP or a gambit to negate the investigation into alleged corruption charges against members of PPP and the Thaksin government.

The PPP seems confident it will be able to push the changes forward with its overwhelming majority in the House. It hasn't asked for support from either the other coalition parties or the public. The Chart Thai and Matchima Thippataya parties will naturally support the change of Article 237 because the amendment may help them to survive. The Puea Pandin Thai Party's voice has not been heard, even though the PPP is confident it will eventually support the bid. Overall, the PPP will require a simple majority of the two Houses - consisting of 316 votes - to amend the charter. Coalition parties have a total of just 316 MPs. If they can control their 316 MPs, the government will be able to amend the charter without much difficulty or without having to ask for support from the senate.

The charter amendment nonetheless will take a long time as it requires passage through both Houses. Now, it's time for these elected politicians to prove whether they will honour their pledge to serve the public interest. Or will they simply aim to serve the interests of their cronies? If they don't honour their pledge, the people may lose interest in their politicians - and then even the best Constitution will not help restore public faith in them.

The Nation