Sira Jennakha, a member of the National Reform Council on social affairs, has vowed to return his 1.7-million-baht salary to state coffers if the NRC rejects the draft constitution Sunday.
Mr Sira said if the NRC votes down the draft Sept 6, he, as a representative of the people who had volunteered to push through a new, reformist constitution, would return salary and welfare benefits he received over the past 11 months as a way to take responsibility.
If the NRC fails to pass the charter, the committee will have failed to ensure the best proposal to benefit the people, he said.
Mr Sira said that, over the past 11 months, the 247 NRC members had collected about 1 billion baht total in taxpayer money as salary. Members of the Constitution Drafting Committee also each received 900,000 baht for attending about 160 meetings - 5,625 baht on average per session.
He said he would file a civil suit to demand compensation from those who decided to vote against the proposed constitution.
Mr Sira predicted about 190 NRC members would vote in favour of the draft. At least 124 votes are needed to approve the new constitution.
