Thai Constitution Amendment Delayed, Awaiting Citizen Proposals; Focus Shifts to Partial Amendments in July-August Session

The roadmap for drafting a new constitution in Thailand, eagerly awaited by the public, is likely to face further delays. This comes as the opposition and the government's chief whip have agreed to postpone the deliberation of the current constitution's amendment bill, pending the submission of proposals from civil society. These citizen-led proposals are expected to be ready for parliamentary review when the new session convenes in August. Natthaphong Rueangpanwut, the opposition leader, affirmed that while the comprehensive constitutional amendment process is on hold, Parliament should utilize the upcoming dates of July 7th and 8th to advance amendments on specific articles. These would focus on areas with low political conflict but high national benefit, such as the framework for the 20-year national strategy and the basis for independent organizations. He further stated that while the overall constitutional amendment may need to await civil society's proposals and drafts from other political parties, amendments on individual articles can proceed immediately. The Speaker of Parliament has already scheduled a meeting, and it would be unproductive to let it go to waste. By selecting issues with minimal political contention and significant national benefit, progress can be made. Meanwhile, Parit Watcharasindhu, a party-list Member of Parliament for the People's Party, urged the Speaker of Parliament, Sophon Saram, to expedite a meeting of the three-party whip next week. The People's Party is preparing to propose an amendment to Article 236, which aims to unlock the investigative mechanism of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and prevent the executive branch from colluding with independent bodies to block impeachment petitions. The MP from the People's Party observed that the reason for the delay in amending this article might stem from an attempt to prevent the exposure or investigation of cases linked to a prominent former minister. The People's Party's stance is unequivocal: amnesty must not include corruption cases, one of which is the alleged bid-rigging involving senators. They pledge to continuously monitor the work of both the Election Commission and the Department of Special Investigation (DSI) on this matter. The postponement of the constitutional amendment deliberation does not reflect a lack of desire for amendment but rather a mutual agreement among all parties to consider the citizen proposals concurrently. This strategic move by the People's Party sends a clear signal. While the major game of 'redrafting the entire constitution' has been postponed to the next session, the 'piecemeal amendment' to score points on July 7th and 8th will serve as a crucial test. It will determine whether the coalition government and senators will give the green light to gradual power structure reform or allow the current 'frozen constitution' to continue without change. Information source: INN News