31-8-2023 (BANGKOK) The Move Forward Party (MFP) has issued a compelling call to Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, urging him to fulfill his commitment to discuss the prospect of conducting a referendum regarding the rewriting of the constitution during his inaugural cabinet meeting.
This plea comes hot on the heels of a recent setback in the House of Representatives, which rejected the MFP’s proposal to expedite a motion for a comprehensive constitutional overhaul. Astonishingly, this motion found itself buried as the 33rd item on the House’s agenda.
MFP List-MP Parit Wacharasindhu gracefully acknowledged the House’s decision, concurrently beseeching Mr. Srettha to accord precedence to the proposed referendum when the new government’s first cabinet meeting convenes, an event anticipated as early as Tuesday.
In his address, Mr. Parit underlined that the referendum must be unequivocal in its query, focusing on whether a complete overhaul of the charter is warranted and whether the body responsible for its composition should be subject to direct election.
The backdrop for this call lies in the events of last November when the House gave its approval to an opposition-backed motion, receiving 323 votes in favor of a referendum to reconsider the constitution. Sadly, this motion later faced rejection in the Senate.
The motion, which called for a public referendum to determine the necessity of a new constitution formulated by an elected charter-drafting assembly, aiming to replace the existing charter, has seen a resurgence in the MFP’s latest submission.
Their plea to expedite the deliberation of the charter reform motion was not without contention. Attakorn Sirilatthayakorn, a Palang Pracharath Party MP for Chachoengsao, expressed disagreement, emphasizing the equal significance of other motions, particularly those addressing the pressing concerns of farmers.
Khrumanit Sangphum, a Pheu Thai MP for Surin, argued that the proposed referendum should take center stage in the cabinet’s discussions, with a focus on addressing the needs of the people.
The MFP’s bid to elevate the charter reform motion’s priority in deliberations met with resistance, as 262 MPs opposed it, while 143 voted in favor, with one abstention.
Meanwhile, on a parallel front, the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) group made a significant move by submitting a petition concerning the revision of the 2017 constitution to the Election Commission. This petition was accompanied by the signatures of 211,914 individuals who endorsed it. The Election Commission has indicated its commitment to verifying the authenticity of the signatories but refrained from addressing the questions intended for a potential referendum.
Pheu Thai, this week, took a notable step by agreeing to consider iLaw’s petition regarding the referendum.
