The governing coalition party whips, opposition parties and the Senate agreed today to postpone the deliberation of draft constitutional amendment bills until mid-February, to allow senators and MPs more time to study them.
President of the parliament, Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, said that there are currently 17 such bills, proposed by various parties, pending with parliament, adding that he has no idea whether more drafts will be submitted by civic groups or by the Pheu Thai party.
He said that the whips agreed that MPs and senators should be given more time for consideration, because writing a new charter is very important, adding that the process can commence only when a law on a referendum is in place, which will take 180 days.
The parliament president admitted that he cannot say for sure whether a new charter will be drafted or whether the current charter will be extensively amended as it depends on what the House and Senate decide.
Personally, he said, he hopes there will be a new charter for Thailand.
Government chief whip Wisut Chainaroon said that amending or writing a charter requires the cooperation of all parties concerned and both MPs and senators should be given more time to consider the matter.
Opposition chief whip Pakornwut Udompipatskul, of the People’s Party, said that a month’s postponement is too long and he would prefer just a week.
Nevertheless, he said, since the Senate whip wants more time, the other whips had to agree, to ensure that the amendment or re-writing process would run smoothly.
Wuthichart Kalayanamitr, secretary of the Senate whips, said that most senators disagree with the writing of a new charter by a charter drafting assembly, because there is a risk that this process may “go against a ruling of the Constitutional Court.”
