BANGKOK, 3 August 2015 – Most members of the National Reform Council have expressed their support for the extension of the Reform Road Map, which, if approved, will further delay the next general election.
NRC member Niran Pantharakit said that many of his fellow members agreed that the national reform process should be completed before the general election takes place because they are not sure if political conflicts will flare up again.
Mr. Niran said that those NRC members who feel so said that unless there is genuine confidence that there will not be any street protests or political uncertainties, the next general election should not be scheduled yet.
Under such a scenario, he said that the Reform Road Map’s deadline can surely be extended in order to ensure that Thailand will be truly peaceful.
Mr. Niran added that there are currently two ideas to back such a suggestion; the first is to ask the people of Thailand in a public referendum on the draft charter if they agree to the extension of the deadline to two years.
The second idea is for the NRC to vote to reject the draft charter in order to buy time for the implementation of all reform efforts, he said.
