Ring a ring o’ roadmap
It is now clear that the tug of war between 36 lawmakers and the previous batch of election commissioners regarding the planned amendment of an organic law on the Election Commission (EC) is over, with the former having decided to throw in the towel.
Putting on a brave face, Kittisak Rattanawaraha, one of the NLA members who sought the legal amendment, insisted the group has been receptive to public concern that the proposed change could have dire consequence on the election roadmap, which prompted its decision to back down.
Despite the group’s insistence the decision does not amount to a loss of face, its move to seek the controversial amendment to the law, which the NLA voted overwhelmingly to pass, has in recent weeks dragged the regime’s name through the mud.
This has happened at a time when it needs to muster more credit to secure its political future after the next poll, according to a political source.
The 36 NLA members who initiated the motion to get the amendment rolling have made themselves a target of allegations that they have been trying to appease the regime by trying to change the EC law in a bid to delay the poll planned for early next year.
Key government figures maintain the regime and executive branch had nothing to do with the motion, and therefore could not be held responsible for what goes on within the NLA.
They said the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and the government work separately from the legislative chamber.
The source agreed any poll-delaying trick to be pulled this late into the election roadmap would not be worth the risk of public resistance building up against the government.
It argued the regime would need to start scoring some serious popularity points now if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who also heads the NCPO, were to have a shot at returning as premier after the election and smoothly leading the next government.
The last thing the regime would want is a conspicuous scheme to be orchestrated in the NLA, which would push back the poll by just a few months and yet could threaten to undermine Gen Prayut’s image and cost him the chance of staging a comeback as prime minister.
It would not be a worthy trade-off, according to the source.
The source said amid all its political calculations, the regime may find a greater incentive to let the roadmap run its course in anticipation of a better “reward” in the nottoo-distant future.
NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, meanwhile, came to the 36 lawmakers’ defence as he flatly denied the amendment was meant to further delay the poll.
Hours before the lawmakers announced they had capitulated, Mr Pornpetch explained there was still a long way to go before the proposed amendment could materialise.
Three considerations had to be taken up by the NLA before the law could be rectified: First, the assembly had to verify authenticity of the names of lawmakers who signed in support of the motion; second, it had to be established whether the sought-after legal amendment constituted a piece of financial legislation, which would give it a different status from other laws; and third, the amendment could not begin unless public opinion was gathered on the issue earmarked for change.
Before the proposed amendment was cancelled, the motion was at the public opinion stage.
However, Mr Pornpetch warned the amendment may not see the light of day if the NLA whip, vested with the duty of screening legislative motions, did not agree with the content of the draft and refused to forward the motion to the NLA for deliberation.