The Democrat Party yesterday countered deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's criticism of the 2007 charter, saying the country's problems did not lie with its constitution.
Democrat list-MP Ong-art Klampaiboon said there is nothing wrong with the current charter, which is written based on the principles found in the 1997 charter, popularly known as the "People's Constitution".
He was responding to a comment Thaksin made on Facebook, saying that the current charter was "outdated" because it failed to take a more "holistic approach" to solving problems.
The ex-prime minister made the comment while discussing holistic thinking and reductionist thinking.
Mr Ong-art said both the 1997 and the 2007 constitutions addressed the acquisition of power, use of power and scrutiny of the use of power.
The 2007 charter set up independent agencies like the Election Commission and the National Anti-Corruption Commission to ensure power is acquired and used legitimately, he said.
He said the three branches of power _ legislative, executive and judicial _ do not function separately, but work in unison to ensure the balance of powers.
"If [we buy into] Thaksin's ideas about the use of powers, the holistic approach would be equivalent to a monopoly of powers. Is he trying to monopolise powers this way?" Mr Ong-art said.
The Democrat MP said Thailand's national strategy for development does not lack in holistic thinking despite Thaksin's claims. "We need to look at each part of the problem-solving process," he said. Mr Ong-art also said the former premier should accept that he is a major part of the country's problems and review his own role.