Thais vote on new Charter that can ‘dilute democracy’
Opponents say a ‘yes’ vote on new Constitution will entrench junta
Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired army general, bans political rallies and independent campaigns against the draft Constitution, and allowed virtually no debates on it More than 100 people who tried to campaign against the referendum on social media have been thrown in jail, and open criticism has been made punishable by up to 10 years in prison
BANGKOK—Thais voted yesterday in a referendum on a new Constitution that critics say is tailor-made for the military government to stay in control for several years and entrench a new, quasidemocratic system that gives vast powers to appointed officials.
The junta, which came to power in a May 2014 coup and ordered the Constitution rewritten, says the new version will usher in a new era of clean politics and stable democracy in a country chronically short of both in recent years.
Over the years, Thailand has sometimes slid into violent internal political conflict.
The government of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, a retired army general, used its sweeping powers to ban political rallies and independent campaigns against the draft Constitution, and allowed virtually no debates on it.
Suppression
Opponents say this was done to ensure that people would have little knowledge about the Constitution’s provisions, even though officials say one million copies have been distributed in a nation of 64 million people.
More than 100 people who tried to campaign against the referendum on social media have been thrown in jail, and open criticism has been made punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
“If people cannot speak their minds freely or take part in political activities without fear, how can they meaningfully engage in this referendum,” said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
At a polling booth in Bangkok where Prayuth voted, officials displayed an empty ballot box to reporters and sealed it before letting the first voter — a young woman — enter the booth.
She first registered at a desk and signed a paper before casting her ballot.
“Come out (to vote) because today is important for the future of the country. This is your duty and this is part of democracy, of an internationally-recognized process,” Prayuth told reporters after voting.
People are being asked to check “yes” or “no” for the Con- stitution and related provisions on the ballot paper. Final results are expected late yesterday.
Five-year transition
The main criticism of the draft Constitution includes at least five-year transition to civilian rule and a 250-member appointed Senate that includes the commanders of the army and other security services.
A deadlock in the 500-member elected lower house could trigger a selection of a prime minister who is not an elected member of parliament.
Under the abolished 2007 Constitution, half the Senate was elected, and the prime minister had to come from the Lower House.
Also, emergency decrees enacted by the junta without any parliamentary consent remain valid.
So-called independent bodies, stacked with conservative appointees, would hold “disproportionately broad and unchecked powers” over elected politicians, said the international human rights consortium FIDH and the Union for Civil Liberty in Thailand.
Legitimacy
“If you say ‘yes’ to the Constitution, it means you agree with the content of the Constitution ... what makes matters worse is you also give legitimacy to the coup, to the coup makers,” said Pavin Chachavalpongpun, an associate professor at the Center for Southeast Asian Studies of Kyoto University in Japan.
Pavin, a Thai and a vocal critic of the junta, told The Associated Press that a victory in the referendum would give the junta the reason to tell the world “don’t you dare criticize us anymore because we have the legitimacy.”
Even if Thais vote “no,” the military will remain in control for the foreseeable future.
Prayuth has promised to hold elections next year, without elaborating on how that would happen if voters reject the draft Constitution.
Thailand has endured 13 successful military coups and 11 attempted takeovers since it replaced an absolute monarchy with a constitutional one in 1932.
If passed, this would be Thailand’s 20th Constitution. (AP)