Don't let the charter push you off your seat, Somchai warned

He has not been able to set up office at Government House; the first House of Representatives meeting called after his rise to power was forced to adjourn due to a lack of quorum and he has been constantly harassed by supporters of the People's Alliance for Democracy.

In addition, Senator Ruangkrai Leekitwattana, who has a strong background in accountancy, is accusing Somchai of owning shares in a company that was awarded state concessions and of failing to include his Bt200-million house in his financial report filed with the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC).

This is not the first time that Ruangkrai has targeted senior politicians. He was the one who initiated cases against former PM Samak Sundaravej and former public health minister Chaiya Sasomsap. Both lost their seats after the Constitutional Court disqualified them for failing to comply with the Constitution, even though Chaiya was later re-appointed as commerce minister.

Ruangkrai also took a case to the Election Commission (EC) against House Speaker Chai Chidchob, accusing him of violating the charter by running a stone mill that had won state concession. However, the EC cleared Chai on grounds that his stone mill was not a concessionaire in the strict meaning of the word.

This time around, the senator is accusing Somchai of holding shares in Loxinfo, a major Internet service provider which is also believed to be a concessionaire. Ruangkrai has filed the case with the EC and the Constitutional Court.

If Somchai is disqualified and loses his premiership, it would be a great pity, because he obviously failed to study the new Constitution carefully. The exact same reason why his immediate predecessor, Samak, lost his job - he failed to see what the charter had to say about hosting TV cooking shows while holding the PM's post.

However, last week the PM did warn members of his Cabinet to carefully study the Constitution to avoid repeating the mistakes of certain former Cabinet members who lost their seats over failure to comply with the charter, a government spokesman said.

So, the Cabinet members met NCCC officials yesterday and tried to understand what was required in the financial statements they needed to submit. Under the law, members of a new Cabinet are required to submit their financial reports within 30 days of assuming office.

Chaiya, who was once disqualified for improperly submitting such reports, loudly complained that it was very difficult to follow all the regulations.

Meanwhile, NCCC member Wicha Mahakhun said the agency would closely look into the financial reports Somchai filed after he was elected as MP last year. Wicha was responding to the petition filed by Ruangkrai.

However, all things considered, Cabinet members only have themselves to blame for losing seats over the charter, which was drafted after the 2006 coup and came into effect last year. The provisions are clearly written and it is each politician's duty to carefully study them or end up being punished for their ignorance and laziness.

Yet many politicians would much rather seek to amend laws and remove these "offensive clausesm"instead of just admitting to their shortcomings.