Impeach bids will 'spur faith in reform'

Impeach bids will 'spur faith in reform'

A National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) member says the impeachment motions against former House speaker Somsak Kiatsuranon and ex-Senate speaker Nikhom Wairatpanich will restore public confidence in the ongoing national reform process.  

Even though they no longer hold political office, the interim charter still allows the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) to proceed with impeaching the pair, Vicha Mahakhun told the NLA, which began hearing their impeachment cases yesterday.

If the duo are impeached, they will be banned from politics for five years under the National Anti-Corruption Act, he said.

Mr Vicha said he did not think their impeachment would disrupt the reform process and efforts to foster national unity.

On the contrary, he said impeachment will restore public confidence in those processes because people who choose to run for public office in the future will have to maintain a high standard of moral integrity.

Mr Vicha also noted that the charter amendment bill seeking to change the composition of the Senate led to some political confusion before the Constitutional Court stepped in and ruled that the charter change bill was unconstitutional.

In its investigation, released on Nov 6 last year, the NACC said it found enough evidence to seek the removal of the two based on the charges of malfeasance in office, abuse of power and gross violation of ethical conduct in accordance with sections 270 and 291 of the 2007 constitution.

The charges followed a petition filed by former lawmakers seeking the impeachment of the pair, arguing they illegally exercised their power by cutting short a parliamentary debate, despite having several lawmakers on a waiting list to speak.

Mr Nikhom was chairing a House-Senate session in March 2013, debating a charter amendment bill to change the composition of the Senate, when a legislator proposed a motion to close the debate. Mr Nikhom claimed he had no choice but to stop the debate and call a vote on the motion.

But the NACC determined Mr Nikhom's claim was unfounded. The NACC argues the chairman of a joint meeting must ensure the meeting proceeds smoothly under regulations governing House-Senate joint sessions. If Mr Nikhom found the motion improper, there were other courses of action to choose from.

In the case of Mr Somsak, the NACC said he endorsed a motion on March 27 to debate a charter amendment that would make the Senate fully elected. But the bill Mr Somsak introduced was different from the one proposed by Pheu Thai MP Udomdej Rattanasathian and endorsed by Mr Somsak on March 20.

Mr Somsak's version included changes that would have allowed the elected senators to serve unlimited consecutive terms. The NACC said the principles of the new document were not consistent with those of the original.

During the NLA meeting yesterday, Mr Nikhom rebutted the accusations. Mr Somsak did not attend the meeting or send a representative.

He said a total of 128 hours were allocated for deliberation of the charter change bill, but the opposition at the time spent up to 50 hours protesting and disrupting the debate on the bill. Mr Nikhom added he was the target of verbal abuse during that debate.

NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai said yesterday the NLA will set up a nine-member inquiry committee on Monday to question the NACC,  Mr Nikhom and Mr Somsak. They will be summoned to testify next Thursday.

Meanwhile, Pichit Chuenban, a lawyer representing former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra, said Ms Yingluck will today appear before the NLA to defend herself against an impeachment motion over her role in the rice-pledging scheme filed by the NACC.  Ms Yingluck faces impeachment for alleged dereliction of duty.

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