Govt bids to firm up poll timeline
PM SEEKS ASSURANCES ON POST-ELECTION SECURITY
>> The government plans to call a meeting with political parties to determine the election’s timeframe and encourage them to make a public commitment on a national unity strategy after the poll.
Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-ocha rejected speculation that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) was trying to stall the election by having the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) shoot down two organic bills on the election of MPs and the selection of senators.
“We don’t want the roadmap to be pushed back, as some people claim, except if there are circumstances such as public disorder, violent conflict, or political divisiveness like in 2014. That’s another story,” he said in his weekly national address.
The prime minister added that the two bills are under review by a joint committee of the NLA, the Election Commission (EC) and the Constitution Drafting Committee, which disagree with some of the changes the NLA made to the content.
“The government and the NCPO never think about interfering and have never intervened to have the draft laws shot down, as speculated,” he said.
The prime minister said after the organic laws come into force, an election can take place in any time within 150 days, depending on the readiness of those involved including political parties and the EC.
“The cabinet will ask the NCPO to call a meeting of the concerned parties to discuss and decide an appropriate date and take it as a ‘national agenda’,” he said.
Political parties, political groups and other concerned entities will be required to make a public commitment on national unity and pushing the country ahead after the election, he said.
“A mutual contract on how we will move the country forward in line with the national roadmap will be required,” he said.
“They [political parties and political groups] have to make a commitment that after the election, we will have a government and the opposition that join hands to move the country forward following the national strategic plan,” he said.
Gen Prayut also urged all stakeholders to help maintain the election roadmap by keeping order and stability and refraining from conflict.
His remarks came after the NLA last week voted to reject all seven candidates chosen to be EC members, a move some feared will delay the elections further, to beyond February.
Gen Prayut announced there would be an election in November, but the prospect was cast into doubt after the NLA voted to suspend the enforcement of the MP elections law for 90 days after it was published in the Royal Gazette.
According to the 2017 charter, an election must be held within 150 days of a bill taking effect.
In his national broadcast, Gen Prayut also thanked the 1.5 million people who answered the 10 questions on politics he posted last year. The questions were raised on two occasions for members of the public to answer.
He said he considered these answers voluntary and genuine and they offered a lot of interesting information, as well as informing future governments and politicians of the public’s expectations.
Government spokesman Sansern Kaewkamnerd yesterday brushed off a report that European Union diplomats had expressed concerns during their recent meeting with Deputy Prime Minister ACM Prajin Juntong about the election roadmap after the NLA’s rejection of shortlisted candidates for the EC.
He said it was a standard procedure for them to ask questions concerning the political situation, noting the government gave assurances to the EU representatives that the NLA exercised its judgement independently.
Lt Gen Sansern insisted the EU’s concern was not an attempt to pressure the government.
He also played down a human rights report by Amnesty International (AI) which accused the government of human rights violations, saying the government was doing its best to address the country’s problems.
AI Thailand director Piyanut Kotsan said the agency had named Thailand “among the worst nations in the Asia-Pacific region” in its report on the state of human rights for 2017/2018, which covers 159 countries.
Pheu Thai member Amnuay Khlangpha, meanwhile, called on the so-called five river bodies to hold talks on the EC issue and decide if elections should be organised by the new EC or the caretaker one.
Despite the government’s claim that the new selection process would not affect the roadmap, the NLA’s vote suggested otherwise, he said.
According to the Pheu Thai politician, the rejection of the candidates raised two possibilities: those in power were not happy with the list, or the NLA did not want an election.
He also warned about possible public discontent, calling on concerned parties to pay heed to the people’s demands.
“The matter is within their power but they should think about the people who want to see an election. Their patience may run out,” he said.
The junta shocked the nation this past week when its puppets in the national assembly shot down all seven election commissioner candidates who were supposedly handpicked by the regime. The reason cited for the overwhelming rejection of these seven candidates was that they were “inexperienced”, but the grapevine whispered that coup-making body — the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) — had ordered the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to reject the candidates.
Whatever the NCPO’s reason, one must admit that most Thais feared this would lead to a further delay in the election, which has reportedly already been pushed back from November to February — although the coup-maker, Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha, has not yet admitted that this will be the case.
The NCPO has been trying to delay the handover of power to democracy as there is every indication that the political party they toppled on May 22, 2014, remains popular and would be favoured to win if elections were to be held.
Politicians, ordinary people and even some circles in the army are already talking about how the political situation is heating up again and there is every likelihood that it soon will hit the boiling point.
This is evident from the fact that various rallies are popping up and the oncedormant student protest movement is starting to raise its voice. If history has any lesson to teach, it is that any movement which gains momentum among students in Thailand has only ended in bloodshed.
The student-led rallies are rising in popularity despite the NCPO’s best efforts to silence them.
The NCPO’s iron-fist rule in Thailand is already the longest-running coup-installed government in recent history. Grudges and grievances are starting to appear despite the threat by the NCPO to use the law against those who partake in anti-government moves.
The Dear Leader has already come out many times to warn the students who have been participating in the rallies, and has even gone as far as to say that they should be sympathetic to the feelings of their parents, insinuating that their involvement may lead to consequences which prevent them from completing their education.
The rising dissent in the society has also been highlighted by yet another coup maker, Gen Sonthi Boonyaratglin, who had ousted the government of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. The coup by Gen Sonthi was the first putsch in 15 years and helped rip apart the so-called ‘People’s Constitution’ that was drafted after the 1992 anti-coup protest that had led to the deaths of scores of people.
Gen Sonthi said he would be in power for about a year, and true to his words, a new constitution was drafted and general elections were called within 15 months. Many continued to view the coup as a waste of time because the Thaksin Shinawatra influence remained strong. The Thaksin-backed People’s Power Party won the election in January 2008 and formed the next democratically elected government.
Gen Sonthi never went back to hound those that won the election, nor did he play games to delay the polls. Instead he accepted the realities and moved on, unlike Gen Prayut who seems to be dragging his feet on what could eventually be a major loss for him.
The delaying tactics of Gen Prayut are not only agitating the students, politicians and a large number of the country’s population, but talks of possible rifts in the military are resurfacing once again.
The rumours are so severe that the incumbent army chief, Chalermchai Sitthisad, has come out to deny any such rift. The fact that the all-powerful army chief had to come out to deny any uncertainties in the ranks and file of the army that has always lead the coups in this country speaks volumes about its likely veracity.
Talk of a possible counter-coup against the Prayut government has come and gone many times, and is now starting up again.
As the NCPO nears the fourth anniversary — 86 days from today — of the coup through which it ousted the government of Yingluck Shinawatra, it would be better advised to rethink its stalling tactics.
The momentum has already started to build against this government and any smart politician or military strategist would know it is futile to go against the trend. It is therefore advisable Gen Prayut and his band of democracy-robbers wake up before the situation deteriorates to a point of no return.