The drafting process of the new Constitution
Thailand will soon have a new Constitution. Herersquo;s the process: the National Assemblyrsquo;s 2,000 members will elect 200 representatives, from whom the National Security Council will select 100 to be the Constitutional Drafting Council.
Preparation for the new Constitution drafting process will be conducted by the Constitutional Preparation Commission composed of 35 appointed experts: 25 elected from within the Constitutional Drafting Council and the other 10 nominated by the National Security Council, with the structure and Acts of the new Constitution seen to depend on how these 35 commissioners shape them during the next 6 to 8 months.
However, in my view, Thai society should not allow this task to rest solely on 35 commissioners, but we should pay close attention to this important process. After all, the rules and regulations encoded in this Constitution will determine the future shape of Thai society, our rights and freedoms, politicalstructure, different power levels between organizations, mechanisms monitoring government authority, plus various economic and social justice factors.
Therefore, all Thais should participate in drafting our new Constitution. I would like to offer a few suggestions for this process, as follows:
First, not simply dismissing the 1,900 National Assembly members unelected to the Constitutional Drafting Council, but incorporating their participation in the drafting process as a specific organization creating campaigns for dispersing knowledge and information to the people in each province, to dramatically boost public understanding of the Constitutionrsquo;s laws. Public hearings should also be held throughout the preparation process to elicit opinion on provincial needs, with this feedback then passed to the Constitutional Drafting Council and the Constitutional Preparation Commission, enabling the substance of the new Constitution to reflect the will of Thai citizens from every part of the country.
Second, all public media should showcase information on this campaign, thus alerting people nationwide to see the Constitution as relevant and of vital importance to their immediate lives. Moreover, the opinions and suggestions of people from every province should be both welcomed and delivered to the Constitutional Preparation Commission, to create a new Constitution truly belonging to the people.
Third, the world of academia and development should create a shadow constitution based on published research, studies in progress, plus political and organizational data showing the 1997 Constitutionrsquo;s 9-year track record, evaluating its weaknesses and strengths. A nationwide wish list could be compiled of Constitutional features that people want to see enacted. These shadow constitutions would be submitted to the Constitutional Preparation Commission for consideration.
Fourth, before the referendum, public hearings throughout Thai society could examine each Article of the Constitution draft in full detail, with all Thais being informed and participating in a question-answer opinion forum on new Constitution concerns.
During the next 6 to 8 months, as Thailand engages in the new Constitution drafting process to determine our future, the process should not be ignored, but participants should actively express opinions, criticisms, and suggestions. This new Constitution should really come from the people, or at least be as people-oriented as possible.
เผยแพร่:
Living in Thailand
เมื่อ:
2007-07-01