Pirapan on House panel list

Pirapan Salirathavibhaga, adviser to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, has been nominated as a candidate to chair the House committee to study charter amendments.

A government whip meeting yesterday resolved to put forth Mr Pirapan’s name as a candidate to chair the committee, whose main task is to study parts of the constitution which will be amended, and how to go about amending them.

Mr Pirapan, touted as a favourite for the chairmanship, was named an adviser to the PM only a week after he quit as a Democrat member.

Mr Pirapan said earlier that he only wanted to help the government fight corruption, and had no plans to join another political party for now.

Senior whip Chinnaworn Boonyakiat said the Democrat Party — also a coalition partner — does not mind Mr Pirapan being nominated, despite the Democrats having previously floated the idea of nominating its former leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, for the position.

The committee will be tasked to coordinate with all stakeholders throughout the amendment process.

In the lead up to the March election, the Democrats campaigned to amend sections of the charter which they see as “undemocratic” and present a hurdle to national governance.

The study committee will comprise 49 members and the names have been forwarded to the government whips for approval. The committee will be made up of 12 cabinet ministers, 19 opposition lawmakers and 18 from the government coalition.

After the committee is formally established, it is expected to convene on Dec 24 to vote in the chairman and deputies.