Reset Thailand drive launched to rewrite charter, rein in senators

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

MOVE FORWARD PARTY today (Sept. 8) launched Reset Thailand campaign to have the whole constitution rewritten and keep senators out of the legislative process for the picking of head of a post-election government.

Move Forward top leader Pita Limjaroenrat announced at parliament today his opposition party has launched a resetthailand.org website for a minimum of 50,000 people to join in the sustained campaign to have a constitution drafting committee rewrite the whole charter to make it more democratic and end the power of the unelected senators to vote alongside the elected MPs for a prime minister.

Move Forward Party’s latest campaign closely followed yesterday’s event in which legislation designed to amend the constitution’s Section 272 and endorsed by over 75,000 people to end the senators’ power to pick head of a post-election government was totally aborted due to an inadequate number of yea votes from the unelected lawmakers.

The legislation, which was given yea votes from 23 senators, obviously fell short of support with no less than one-third, or 83 of the total of currently performing senators, needed to sail through the approval-in-principle stage.

Those who cast yea votes included Bhumjaithai, Democrat and Chart Thai Pattana MPs in addition to Pheu Thai, Move Forward and other opposition MPs whilst those who cast nay votes included Palang Pracharath MPs, pro-government splinter-party MPs and most of the senators, all of whom had been handpicked by the 2014 coup junta under leadership of army chief-turned-premier Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Pita said his party’s Reset Thailand campaign will be turned into a massive petition with no less than 50,000 signatures of supporters nationwide and be directly submitted to the government to the extent that a referendum be held to see whether most people may prefer the rewriting of the whole constitution to make it more democratic and depriving the senators of their power to pick a prime minister.

The Move Forward leader said the sought-after referendum could be practically conducted at the same time as the next general election to save costs which will be covered with the taxpayer’s money.

CAPTION:

Move Forward Party top leader Pita Limjaroenrat. Top photo: Matichon, Front Page photo: INN News

Also read: People-endorsed bid to end senators’ power to pick PM aborted again

Massive bid to keep senators out of PM-picking process forwarded to parliament

Over 50 members of senators’ entourage close to own bosses

Abhisit backs calls to end senators’ role in picking post-election PM

Prayut won’t be named Palang Pracharath’s candidate for PM: Thaksin

‘No appropriate reason’ for Prawit to dissolve House yet: Wissanu