The Election Commission (EC) should not be made a mere rubber stamp in tackling election fraud, says former deputy secretary-general Somsak Suriyamongkhon.
He is the latest critic to join a debate over a proposal by charter drafters for the EC to merely "supervise" elections.
The Charter Drafting Committee has proposed stripping the EC of its power to penalise poll candidates and organise elections. Those powers would pass to the Interior Ministry and the courts.
The word "supervise" leads to wide interpretation of how the EC's remit should change, Mr Somsak said.
Whatever changes are made, the EC should still be strong enough to cause fear among wrongdoers, he said.
"The EC should not just supervise on the outside by setting rules and seeing people violate them without the power to curb their actions," Mr Somsak said. "If so, the EC will be only a rubber stamp."
At present, local officials organise elections under rules set by the EC.
However, the agency is still able to exercise power to act against authorities who appear partial and break the rules.
In this case, Mr Somsak said, the EC can change staff at polling booths and even election directors in certain areas.
The EC has worked with state officials to organise elections. To ensure free and fair polling, a good system is needed to enable the commissioners' work and protect officials against being influenced by politicians.
"We know state officials are doing their job in line with the whistles," Mr Somsak said, referring to attempts by the military regime to tackle corruption and misconduct. "But once there are no whistles, problems will surely come if we don't have a well-designed system."
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn also opposes calls to strip the EC of its powers.
The federation of assistant district chiefs who work under the ministry has taken issue with his comments, prompting Prime Minister's Office Minister ML Panadda Diskul yesterday to ask for an end to the dispute.
Though he personally does not want the ministry to handle elections, he disagrees with Mr Somchai's strong words. Most Thais back the EC doing the job, judging by the latest Suan Dusit Poll.