BANGKOK, 24 April 2015 – The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives has expressed his concern that the proposed mixed member proportional (MMP) electoral system of the House of Representatives would weaken political parties and stall the country’s development.
Former Deputy House Speaker Samat Kaewmeechai of the Pheu Thai Party said that successful policymaking requires political parties to be strong enough to successfully push legislation. According to Mr. Samat, a Parliament filled with multiple small parties would create an inefficient legislative process. He feared that a weaker Parliament would lead to political impasse.
His concerns were echoed by Deputy Democrat Party leader Jurin Laksanavisit, who said that weaker political parties would mean difficulty in achieving national progress. Mr. Jurin added that the proposed open-list system on the party list ballot would spark partisan infighting.
However, Mr. Jurin agreed with the provision to allow a non-Member of Parliament to assume the premiership in times of crisis, provided that the charter drafters carefully consider the implications of Sections 181 and 182.
Section 181 would grants the government the right to obtain a confidence motion from Parliament. Section 182 would grant the government the right to propose emergency legislation that would pass automatically if not vetoed by Parliament within 48 hours.
