The Charter Drafting Committee (CDC) has announced the new charter's four main objectives. All are high-minded goals. The question is whether the new charter can attain them.
Empty seats at parliament wait to be filled by the next batch of MPs and senators. (Photo by Thiti Wannamontha)
The committee's goals are: Citizen power, clean politics, a just society, and national prosperity. The charter drafters say more civic rights and participation, effective anti-corruption measures, and a balanced political system with checks and balances are needed to achieve them.
When the charter's first draft is finished, the CDC's next task will be to inform the public of the charter's content.
Public endorsement is crucial for approval from the National Reform Council (NRC). It is expected the NRC will begin reviewing the draft charter from the end of next month.
Controversy is inevitable. The charter already faces heavy criticism that it threatens to take the country back to the past.
Many political pundits — including Pheu Thai politicians — similarly denounced the draft charter for bypassing core democratic principles to reduce politicians' power and prevent a power monopoly by the ruling party. They are at one voice that the draft charter will not receive public endorsement.
Not fearing controversy, the charter drafters have raised the political temperature further by endorsing a proposal for a wholly selected Senate under a six-year term with a prohibition against senators holding the positions back to back.
The 200 senators will be selected from five categories of candidates. Ten will come from a group of former prime ministers and former presidents of the House and Supreme Court; 30 from a group of former top bosses from the civil service, military, state enterprises and state agencies; 10 from professional groups that are recognised by law; 50 from farm groups, labour unions, academia, and local communities; and 100 from those with expertise in political affairs, security, education, economics, the environment, ethnicity, religions, arts and culture as well local community leaders and the self-employed.
The charter drafters believe this selection method represents diversity much more than the ballot box system.
They argue that 160 senators from the last three groups will function as a strong civil society voice in the parliamentary system. While senators from the first two groups used to have power in the political system and officialdom, the keywords are "used to".
The rationale behind the wholly selected senators is a belief the political crisis resulted from a system which allowed politicians to become too powerful, enabling them to freely abuse their power.
The drafters wanted to see politicians' power more limited. As a result, senators could end up having more power than directly elected MPs.
For example, senators can sponsor their own bills and can examine and fire cabinet ministers under the changes.
It is likely the public will find the senators' new power unacceptable. Amendments by the National Legislative Assembly are likely.
The charter drafters argue the direct electoral system has put politicians under tight control of their parties and their wealthy owners. The result is politicians' loss of credibility, abuse by the ruling party, and subsequent political crises.
The new system will also make it easier for people to run in elections as independents under the mixed member proportional representation (MMP) system.
Before, candidates had to come from parties or registered political organisations. The number of party list MPs will be increased from 120 to 200, while MPs from the constituency system will be reduced from 350 to to 250.
When politicians come from diverse independent groups, it will be difficult for one big party to win a landslide election victory. The result will be coalition government.
Charter drafters believe this solution based on political pluralism can dissolve fierce colour-coded politics.
They believe this is a new form of democracy that puts citizens' interests before politicians' and power centralisation.
Given the criticisms all around, it is certain that the new model will face testing times ahead.
Nattaya Chetchotiros is assistant news editor, Bangkok Post.