The ink is hardly dry yet on the brand new Thai constitution and already they are arguing over what it means. According to the military, the army, navy and air force each have the right to put at least five candidates each in the half of the new Senate that's supposed to get appointed, no elected. I'm wondering what the military are doing in the senate in the first place.
"The committee overseeing the drafting of three organic laws essential for the election tried and failed for the third time yesterday to resolve the issue over whether to allow the Army to submit more than one person as a candidate for the Senate.
Admiral Prasert Boonsong threatened to oppose the bill if the committee did not allow the Army, Navy and Airforce to each nominate more than one candidate. Prasert said the Army ought to be able to nominate five candidates as there are 130,000 officers serving under the organisation. He proposed that any legally recognised organisation with 50,000 members or more should be able to file five candidates - but no more.
The draft bill on elections and selection of MPs and senators rules that each single registered legal entity can only nominate one candidate to be selected as a senator.
The failure after nearly an hour of debate may have resulted from a lack of clear philosophy behind what is the real need for having to select nearly half the Senate, or 74 out of 150 senators. Committee member Somchai Srisuthiyakorn opposed the proposal, saying it would enhance the presence of the military and bureaucracy in the Senate."
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/09/14...cs_30048916.php
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Military want more senators
Started by Jersey, Sep 14 2007 05:22 PM
1 reply to this topic
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Posted 15 September 2007 - 10:36 AM
If you look at the last English language draft of the Constitution before the referendum, it certainly is vague as to who and how these appointed senators get nominated and picked for the job. It leaves much to the "organic laws" being drafted by the junta's appointed NLA committees right now, where the junta's authority seems to be waning as the elections nears and politicians start to hedge their bets on who may be running things five months from now.
As a practical matter, most political observers people seem to think that many of the laws that this rump parliament is rushing to pass before the next parliament convenes, will be dumped by the next parliament anyway, either through Constitutional changes or more organic law changes.
As a practical matter, most political observers people seem to think that many of the laws that this rump parliament is rushing to pass before the next parliament convenes, will be dumped by the next parliament anyway, either through Constitutional changes or more organic law changes.
