The elite Move Forward Party (MFP) recently urged Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to discuss the resolution of convening a referendum during the maiden session of his Cabinet. This occurred in light of the House of Representatives’ denial of MFP’s bid to fast-track a wholesome constitution alteration. At this time, it is nestled at number 33 on the House’s priority list.
Recognizing the gravity of the matter, representative Parit Wacharasindhu responded to the House’s decision, emphasizing that the young administration should prioritize the referendum. He suggested that right after the first Cabinet assembly, this issue should be addressed, possibly as earlier as Tuesday. The referendum, according to Wacharasindhu, pivots around vital questions such as whether the charter should be entirely re-written and the procedure of selecting an appropriate body to carry out this task.
A flashback to November reveals that the House had unanimously passed a motion, which received support from 323 opposition MPS. The motion rallied for convening a charter to disseminate a referendum but was surprisingly rejected by the Senate at a later stage. The Missouri ballot aimed to utilize the referendum as a tool to gauge if an elected assembly should author a new constitution, thereby replacing the current one. Addressing this development, the MFP resubmitted a similar motion during the House’s subsequent reunion, only to have it relegated to 33rd position on the list.
However, Parit contends that elevating this issue on the House agenda will not affect the consideration of other outstanding matters. His argument defines that the MPs are just being asked to validate what multiple parties had already endorsed. On the other hand, Attakorn Sirilatthayakorn, a representative from a political rival, the Palang Pracharath Party, argues that the other motions hold equal significance, especially those relating to issues faced by the agricultural community.
Khrumanit Sangphum, an MP from the Pheu Thai group, hinted that the Cabinet’s forthcoming deliberation about the proposed referendum is imminent. This indication hinted that the House should focus on the public requirements instead. However, the MFP’s appeal to speed up the charter reform topic for discussion was dismissed by a vote of 262 MPs, with 143 in favor and one abstention.
In a related development, the Internet Law Reform Dialogue (iLaw) body launched a plea to the Election Commission yesterday, advocating a modification of the 2017 constitution. Interestingly, this appeal received support in the form of 211,914 signatures. Rather than addressing potential referendum questions, the Election Commission centrated on validating the authenticity of the supporting names. Also, the Pheu Thai group declared its intent to scrutinize the iLaw’s petition concerning the referendum earlier this week.
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