Cabinet to consider Parliamentary debate on charter amendment

BANGKOK, Sept 6 (TNA) — Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said Sunday that the Cabinet will discuss Tuesday whether to give a green light to Parliamentary debate on proposed constitutional amendments aimed at forging national reconciliation.

Speaking during his weekly television and radio address, Mr. Abhisit said he believed the debate, if held by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, could help improve and bring normalcy to Thai politics.

He said that MPs had not had a chance to express their response to reports submitted by the parliamentary committee recommending revisions to the charter amendment.

Since the Constitution stipulates that only a certain, important subjects could be debated during the current extraordinary session of Parliament, it is necessary, therefore, for the Cabinet to approve the planned debate in advance, Mr. Abhisit added.

But Plodprasob Suraswadi, deputy leader of the opposition Puea Thai Party, said his party opposed a planned joint debate, charging that both the prime minister and his ruling Democrat Party were “buying time and not sincere on amending the constitution”.

Mr. Plodprasob said his party expects support from about 170 senators on the charter amendment and it would be “better if the entire Constitution is amended”.

The Puea Thai Party believes that the current 2007 constitution is “not democratic, is the root cause of divisiveness and is a product of the coup”, said Mr. Plodprasob, adding that the time has come for the amendment. (TNA)