The new permanent constitution will establish mechanisms to curb populism and ensure politicians found guilty of electoral fraud are banned for life, a legal expert who helped draft the interim charter says.
Borwornsak Uwanno, seen here in friendly discussions with defence permanent secretary Gen Surasak Kanchanarat and other NCPO members, will once again serve as a chief architect of a permanent constitution. He said there is no need to copy other nations' charters. (Photo by Apichart Jinakul)
Speaking at a seminar on Thursday, King Prajadhipok's Institute secretary-general Borwornsak Uwanno said the 36-member committee responsible for drawing up the permanent charter will design it based on the framework set out by the interim constitution.
The panel, which has yet to be formed, will work on including tough measures to prevent politicians from buying their way into parliament, said Mr Borwornsak, who sat on the committee which drafted the provisional constitution.
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Under the new permanent charter, politicians who are found guilty of vote-buying or electoral fraud will risk being banished from politics for life, he said.
It will also ensure political office holders and political parties carry out their duties independently so they are not "puppets" being dictated to by other people, Mr Borwornsak said.
He added that the drafting of the new charter must put in place mechanisms to prevent the use of populist policies which could be detrimental to the economy in the long term.
Mr Borwornsak said not all populist policies will be stopped, and only those which "could damage the economy" will be singled out, adding that measures will also be designed to ensure state funds are spent transparently, and spending by state agencies which falls outside the national budget comes under close scrutiny.
The charter must also devise efficient mechanisms to fight corruption in the public and private sectors, he added.
Mr Borwornsak said the drafting panel is also required to pen a charter that is relevant and suitable to the current social context. It is not necessary for the new permanent charter to copy constitutions from other countries, he said.
Banjerd Singkhaneti, dean of the National Institute of Development Administration's law faculty, welcomed the planned measures to prevent populism.
He also supported the proposed lifetime ban for politicians found guilty of electoral fraud, although he suggested harsher punishments be devised to deter candidates from making "political investments" by buying votes.
Currently, politicians consider buying votes worth the risk of a short-term political ban, Mr Banjerd said.
Rangsit University political scientist Wanwichit Boonprong also supported curbing populist policies and a life ban for politicians committing electoral fraud.
He said voters who sell their ballots must also be subject to severe legal penalties, while politicians must realise that they need to offer policies that respond to the needs of the people, rather than spending money to buy votes.
However, Nisit Sinthuprai, a former Pheu Thai Party MP and a red-shirt leader in the Northeast, said the proposed mechanisms to deal with corrupt politicians must apply to "all types of politicians", not only those who are elected.
Corruption is rampant in every sector and it is unfair to single out only politicians, Mr Nisit said.
"It is wrong to say all elected politicians are corrupt. Without them, the country would not have progressed to where it is today," he said.
Mr Nisit also pointed towards politicians already installed or to be appointed by the coup-makers.
He said members of the National Legislative Assembly and the National Reform Council should also be regarded as politicians because they will play a role in the country's administration.
He said he had no problem with a life ban for politicians, or even execution, stressing only that the punishment must apply equally to all types of politicians.
Mr Nisit also disagreed with the move to curb populism, saying the public should decide which policies suit them best.