Thais urged to trust in democracy

Thais urged to trust in democracy

Parliament President Chuan Leekpai pays respects before a statue of King Rama VII at the parliament complex to mark Constitution Day on Friday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)
Parliament President Chuan Leekpai pays respects before a statue of King Rama VII at the parliament complex to mark Constitution Day on Friday. (Photo: Chanat Katanyu)

Parliament president Chuan Leekpai has urged Thais not to become disheartened with the current state of Thai politics and have confidence in the democratic system.

Speaking on Friday on Constitution Day, Mr Chuan said the day marks the establishment of Thailand's first-ever constitution 89 years ago which ushered in a democratic system.

"We decided to adopt this system, so we must have confidence in the democratic system," Mr Chuan said. "Don't let problems and obstacles destroy the country's main system. We must not lose heart," he said.

"The mandate belongs to all Thais who play a crucial role in promoting a democratic system free of corruption," Mr Chuan said, adding that Thais must work together to find ways to eradicate vote-buying in elections.

"We have had many lessons over the course of nearly 90 years. Admittedly, party policies cannot beat money politics, but the people must not ignore the problem," he said.

Addressing previous charter amendment proposals seeking to remove senators' power in the selection of a prime minister, Mr Chuan said this was part of a democratic process.

He added that Thailand has had 20 constitutions since 1932 when the country changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. Each constitution had its strengths and flaws under different circumstances, Mr Chuan said.

Meanwhile, Democrat Party spokesman Ramet Rattanachaweng said a panel set up by government whips to amend the constitution's organic laws on the election of MPs and political parties has agreed on a method to calculate the number of party-list MPs which is part of proposals to amend the constitution's organic law on MP election.

Under the proposed calculation method, all the votes won by political parties would be combined and divided by 100, and the result would be the number of list MPs, Mr Ramet said.

Moreover, the panel will also seek to amend Section 73 of the organic law on the election of MPs to prohibit political parties from buying votes. Currently, the ban only applies to election candidates, Mr Ramet said.

The organic laws are being rewritten to reflect constitutional changes that will restore the two-ballot election. One ballot is for electing constituency MPs and the other is for choosing a party.

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