Pheu Thai renews call to ditch order

The Pheu Thai Party is demanding the military regime revokes its controversial order on political party affairs.

Pheu Thai member Chusak Sirinil, who is overseeing legal affairs for the party, said yesterday Order No 53/2017, issued by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) last December, indirectly supports the regime’s allies by imposing burdensome and difficult requirements on existing parties as they prepare for next year’s election. Mr Chusak said the order violates the rights of old parties and their members as it “stalls [some rules] and creates new conditions” in the process of updating party membership.

Back then, NCPO chief and prime minister Prayut Chan-o-cha exercised the powerful Section 44 to temporarily freeze some sections of the organic law on political parties, arguing the step was needed because he still needs to limit some political activities for the sake of social order. However, political parties have cried foul over Order No 53/2017 as it allegedly affects rights guaranteed by the constitution.

Under the order, party members are required to submit letters confirming their membership and pay party fees within 30 days of April 1 or lose status. But this causes inconvenience because, according to an earlier interview by Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, the process can be only done smoothly at party headquarters. However, several thousands of members live upcountry.

The order also raised questions over an attempt to “dissolve party branches” in addition to some conditions that make it difficult for parties to hold a general meeting to select a party leader and make changes to the party’s regulations, Mr Chusak said. The Office of the Ombudsman, which received complaints over the issue, agreed the order is likely to violate the charter and last week it decided to seek the Constitutional Court ruling on its validity. “The NCPO can’t act beyond the constitution and rule of law,” Mr Chusak said.

In another development, Rachen Trakulwieng, former co-leader of anti-Thaksin People’s Democratic Reform Committee, yesterday registered a new party, “Thang Lueakmai,” or New Alternative Party, with the Election Commission.