The Democrat Party yesterday expressed scepticism over ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's claim that the charter rewrite would easily pass a public referendum.
Democrat list-MP Ong-art Khlampaiboon said the ex-premier's confidence that more than 24 million people would vote to permit the entire charter to be rewritten indicated that he could be up to something.
During a phone-in to the red-shirt rally on Saturday night at Bonanza Khao Yai, Thaksin said the number required to pass the charter did not bother him.
Under the constitution, a referendum requires more than half of all eligible voters to cast ballots and the resolution must be backed by a majority of those who vote.
With about 46 million eligible voters, the referendum would be valid only if more than 23 million people vote.
The ruling Pheu Thai Party won about 14 million votes while its coalition partners received about 3 million votes in the previous general election.
Mr Ong-art said Thaksin and his cronies were known to use all means possible to achieve their goals.
"There's nothing wrong with him supporting a referendum, but if he is up to something illegal, problems will ensue," he said.
Mr Ong-art also said the government was exploiting the cause of "democracy" to enlist support for the charter amendment. Doing so would brand the opponents as pro-dictatorship, he said.
He said the government owed the public an explanation as to why Section 309 should be amended and how it would serve the public interest. Section 309 deals with the actions of the 2006 coup-makers who overthrew Thaksin.
He was convinced the charter rewrite would serve only one purpose, which was to do away with Section 309 and annul the results of all probes against Thaksin undertaken by the coup-makers.
Mr Ong-art also doubted the proposed 99-member charter drafting assembly (CDA) would be independent, as claimed by the government.
According to the composition of drafters proposed by the government, 22 of them would be appointed by the House speaker, leaving the government to find only 30 or so more to make sure the rewrite goes its way, he said.
"It is not entirely true the CDA represents the public," he said.
Suriyasai Katasila, coordinator of Green Politics group, said yesterday that the red shirts would eventually bow to Thaksin's demand.
He was reacting to the "Bonanza Declaration" on Saturday night where red-shirt leaders called for the government to drop the proposed referendum and proceed with the third and final reading of the charter amendment bill, now before parliament.
Mr Suriyasai expressed confidence that the differences in opinions between the red shirts and Thaksin would not cause any rifts.