A group of reform councillors meeting constitution writers today wants the Senate to be fully appointed, but with more limited powers.
The group, led by Poldej Pinprateep, met the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) on Tuesday to explain its proposed changes to 71 of the 315-section charter draft.
Earlier, eight groups from the National Reform Council (NRC) submitted proposed changes to the CDC, which scheduled sessions to hear them during June 1-6.
Dr Poldej's group wants all senators to be screened by profession groups so they come from different sources than MPs.
However, their roles should be reduced, with no mandate to remove from office elected MPs. As a rule, senators should be able to remove only those they have appointed.
In its current form, the charter draft provides that voters elect one senator for each of the 77 provinces from a list of 10 candidates vetted by a committee of which composition is unknown at the moment.
The remaining 123 senators will either be screened or elected among themselves. They are: former permanent secretaries (10), ex-defence permanent secretaries and former commanders-in-chief (10), representatives of professional organisations (15), representatives of agricultural, labour, academic, community and local organisations (30), people with high morals and expertise in different fields (58).
Dr Poldej's group also proposed that the senators not have the power to approve cabinet ministers, and an MP can be removed only by the House and independent bodies such as the National Anti-Corruption Commission and courts.
His group also believes that the Senate can propose laws, but if the House rejects them, they must be scrapped instead of going to a national referendum as stipulated in the charter draft.
As well, the group sought changes to Section 207 on how permanent secretaries are appointed and transferred.
The draft stipulates a 7-member committee comprising mainly former permanent secretaries consider appointing and transferring the highest-ranking official of a ministry.
But Dr Poldej's group wants the government to nominate the committee's members, to be subsequently vetted by the National Ethics Assembly.
"This is a check-and-balance mechanism on bureaucracy so the country won't turn into a bureaucrat state. It is also fairer to the executive branch, which has to rely on civil servants to govern," he said.
His group proposed that the committee have the power to reshuffle and transfer police and military top brass as well.
On reforms, Dr Poldej's group wants to scrap the Reform Steering Council, leaving only the committee to do the job. The committee's members, however, will increase in number to 60 from 15 and will have the power to set up a sub-committee to handle each reform area as it sees fit.
"The CDC asked us some questions but we did not argue on any point," said Dr Poldej.
The other group meeting the CDC on Tuesday was led by Thirayuth Lorlertratna. It proposed changes to 44 of the 315-section charter draft.
Mr Thirayuth's group wants to add national strategy to the draft so that organic laws have to be passed. The purpose is to ensure the development polices of all ministries will be in the same direction.
After the CDC meets with all groups proposing changes to the draft, it will consider revising it.
The final draft will be sent back to the NRC on Aug 6 and the reform council will cast a yes-or-no vote on it on Sept 9. No change can be made at this stage.
If the NRC accepts it, a decision will be made whether a national referendum will be held to endorse the draft.
