The main opposition People's Party (PP) is enlisting the help of the ruling Pheu Thai Party to push for legal amendments that would prevent a repeat of recent political upheavals, according to PP leader Natthaphong Ruengpanyawut.
The move comes in response to Srettha Thavisin's removal as premier on Aug 14 and the earlier dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP), Mr Natthaphong said on Thursday.
Changes are being eyed by the PP to two legal mechanisms that resulted in these incidents being brought about by Constitutional Court orders.
Mr Srettha was purged as prime minister for appointing ex-convict Pichit Chuenban as a cabinet minister, while the MFP was disbanded for seeking to allegedly subvert the constitutional monarchy.
The two areas of concern are a provision in the charter authorising party dissolution and a section in the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Act pertaining to politicians' ethics.
The main opposition party feels the charter and the act need to be amended partially to protect political parties from disbandment and lawmakers from political bans on ethical grounds. The party has said the political ban, either for 10 years or for life, for ethical reasons was tantamount to a death sentence in a politician's career.
The 10-year ban is typically imposed on executives of parties ordered disbanded. While party dissolution is ordered under the constitution, the 10-year political ban is enforced by the Election Commission (EC) via the organic law on political parties.
A violation of ethics, which is punishable by a political ban for life, is enforced by the NACC under the NACC Act.
Mr Natthaphong said on Thursday that the PP does not want to go it alone in seeking the amendments.
He said Pheu Thai faced an ordeal over Mr Srettha's removal as premier, and many more politicians were handed a lifetime political ban. Many more could wind up having the same fate, he said.
"It should be a common agenda to pursue. We might also hold talks with members of other parties, including those in the government, over this," the PP leader said.
He said that, in principle, political parties should be established easily but be difficult to dissolve. The grounds for dissolving parties, he said, should meet international standards.
Mr Natthaphong said he believed this needs to be done quickly as the proposed changes are likely to be interpreted as an amendment to the power of the court or an independent organisation, which requires a referendum.
He said lifetime political bans are excessive and should be revised with the gravity of such punishment reconsidered.
The definition of ethics for political postholders should be reworded to determine what constitutes ethical violations.
