Senators to oppose CDA

"The charter rewrite is just a ploy to gain time and cling to office, when the prime minister should have resigned," Senator Prasarn Marukpitak said yesterday.

Prasarn said his group would boost the number of senators opposing the rewrite to more than 80 of 150 votes.

He said the government had ulterior motives and wanted to amend the charter for self-serving gain.

At today's session of the upper chamber, Deputy Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij said he would report to his fellow lawmakers on preparations to amend Article 291 of the Constitution to pave the way for the CDA.

Nikom voiced optimism that most senators would vote in favour of a charter rewrite.

Senator Siriwat Kraisin suggested a compromise in the form of the government calling a |snap election immediately after the CDA was formed.

Since the CDA will be tasked with overseeing political reform, the government should quit in order to give the CDA a free hand to complete its work, he said.

Siriwat said he agreed with most of the details regarding the CDA and the charter-rewriting process but wanted the draft charter to be put to a national referendum in lieu of parliamentary scrutiny.

Deputy House Speaker Samart Kaeomeechai dismissed allegations the charter rewrite had a hidden agenda of helping the People Power Party escape punishment by party disbandment.

The rewrite is meant to overcome the political turmoil and has nothing to do with the party's dissolution case, nor is it an attempt to grant pardons for the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai Party executives, he said.