The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) yesterday did a U-turn in not publicly discussing a charter proposal jointly submitted by key organisations among the so-called "five rivers" of power.
The cancellation was announced by CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarit a few hours after CDC head Meechai Ruchupan said in the morning that the proposal would be shared with the media after being considered by the CDC.
Mr Udom said the CDC would wait for the cabinet to address the proposal first to avoid causing any confusion. The five-page proposal containing recommendations for content to be included in the provisional clause of the draft charter would be reviewed today at a cabinet meeting.
"The government has told us they will hold a press conference on the proposal and so we decided not to share it. If we talk about it while the cabinet or the military regime aren't ready, it can cause confusion," he said.
According to Mr Udom, the proposal in question is the result of a March 7 meeting of representatives of key organisations among the so-called "five rivers" of power: the cabinet, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), and the National Reform Steering Assembly (NRSA). The CDC representatives did not join the meeting.
He said the proposal was not complicated but controversial and it involved the transitional period.
Earlier, the cabinet forwarded a 16-point charter proposal which includes a call for special and temporary measures to be put into effect to ensure stability during the transitional period. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon then came up with a proposal seeking a chamber of non-elected senators to oversee the implementation of national reforms and national strategy over a five-year period.
The appointed Senate is seen by critics as a way for the NCPO to exert power after it was reported some council and NLA members would be offered seats in the Senate. Mr Meechai has so far been tight-lipped about these suggestions.
Mr Udom also admitted it would be better if the government would address the proposal first so the public would know to whom questions should be directed for clarification while the CDC would be gathering feedback.
Meanwhile, a planned charter referendum may be postponed by another week from July 31 to Aug 7, according to EC member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn.
In a radio interview, Mr Somchai said the one-week postponement would give both the poll agency and the public more time to prepare for the referendum.
He also said the EC has completed the drafting of the referendum bill which is expected to be forwarded to the cabinet for consideration today. He added the bill does not prohibit people from voicing disagreement with the draft charter, but their opinions must be expressed in good faith. Any distortion, defamation or attempts to incite disorder are, however, banned.
Asked if it would be against the referendum bill to say the charter would prolong the regime's stay in power and urge the people to reject it, Mr Somchai maintained fair arguments could be made. "Both sides can argue with reasons. But if there is name-dropping that damages other people's reputations, it could amount to defamation," he said.