BANGKOK, 9 April 2015 – A member of the National Reform Council (NRC) has said that the first draft of the constitution contains too much detail and therefore expects much feedback from NRC members.
NRC member Prof Sombat Thamrongthanyawong, who also chairs the NRC’s committee on political reform, said he believes the wordy first draft will lead to controversy in its interpretation. As an example, he pointed out a provision that disallows Members of Parliament from also holding the premiership or cabinet positions while another provision calls for the cabinet to be a part of parliamentary proceedings.
Prof Sombat said he therefore expects NRC members to raise more questions regarding the complexities of the draft charter in the upcoming debate on April 20 – 26.
His suggestion was that the charter drafters should reduce the details of the constitution to its core principles, while leaving the specifics to organic laws instead.
Moreover, Prof Sombat opined that the key to a successful constitution is the proper establishment of checks and balances between the three major branches of government while still enabling them to efficiently work in hand with each other.
