PM poll call too risky, says CDC chairman

PM poll call too risky, says CDC chairman

Strong-arm exec could face protests

Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) chairman Borwornsak Uwanno has given five key reasons why Thailand should reject the proposal to have the prime minister and cabinet directly elected.

"If we really adopt this system, our country will be the first and only nation to test this system," Mr Borwornsak said.

"If it turns out to work, the one who proposes it deserves to win the Noble Prize in State Innovation. But if it fails, Thailand and its people will have a high price to pay."

Borwornsak: Points out five "risky areas" of electing a prime minister.

The direct election system for prime minister and cabinet members has been proposed by the National Reform Council's committee on political reform.

Mr Borwornsak's comments are among the strongest to date from the proposal's critics, and could prove influential in swaying members of the charter drafting panel.

The CDC chairman says the proposal will exacerbate conflicts in society if the system is seen as being unfair and harming the opposition's chances of winning an election. Critics who feel frustrated at their ability to challenge the executive and the PM may resort to protests and violence, he said.

He gave an oral presentation during a meeting in which the NRC debated reform proposals submitted by its 18 committees. His objections were also contained in a document distributed to members.

Mr Borwornsak described the proposal as a "presidentialised parliamentary system".

He said the proposal could also exacerbate vote buying because in a winner-takes-all system, those who desperately want to win the race will invest a fortune to ensure they do.

As such the cabinet list will be full of election financiers instead of people qualified to govern the country, said Mr Borwornsak.

He said the proposal would also result in both the PM and the cabinet being extremely strong, because the elected PM could not be replaced except in another election and no cabinet reshuffle would be possible.

Given such power, there is a high risk they will interfere in independent organisations and the media and end up facing protests carried out by those who want to oust them, he said.

Direct election of the PM and the cabinet could cause several structural problems which are likely to lead to conflicts between the government and the legislative body, he said.

A directly elected cabinet would have so much power it could be described as a "super president", he said.

The directly elected PM will obtain the power to approve every financial bill proposed by the MPs.

In a scenario in which a party wins the election for cabinet but fails to gain the majority of seats in parliament, Mr Borwornsak warned that party could try to buy as many MPs it can to support it.

But if the same party wins the cabinet election and also wins a majority of seats in parliament, a parliamentary dictatorship would beckon, he said.

Mr Borwornsak said the direct election of a PM and cabinet system is also likely to come with insufficient mechanisms to keep the government's power in check, such as censure debates.

A proposal to allow a House committee of independent lawyers to pursue legal action against the PM or cabinet ministers for misconduct is similarly unlikely to work, he said.

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