FORMER Move Forward Party leader Pita Limjaroenrat said in a Facebook post just hours before the Supreme Court was to rule whether it will accept a lese majeste case filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission against 44 former Move Forward MPs, with 10 currently MPs of People’s Party, today (April 24) that the disbanded camp’s move to amend the draconian lese majeste law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, was not aimed at overthrowing the administration, Naewna said.
Pita said the following in his post:
“I want to reaffirm that our intention in tabling this amendment bill was not to erode, undermine, or overthrow the administration in any way. Rather, it was an attempt to use the ‘House of Representatives,’ as a forum for diverse representatives of the people, to peacefully discuss and exchange ideas in order to resolve the social tensions we were facing, within the framework of the constitution and the law.
“At that time, Thai society had widely differing opinions. If conflicts were allowed to persist without a safe and legitimate space, there was a risk of escalating beyond what the people could imagine. Therefore, what we, as ‘representatives of the people,’ were doing was bringing this matter back into the legislative process to allow for mature debate and exchange in parliament with clear regulations. This is the safest approach for a democratic system and is generally accepted in civilised nations.
“In reality, such actions should not have been a legal case in the first place. Instead, it is a process of ‘legal warfare’ aimed at halting our attempts to change the social structure through the parliamentary process, from the Future Forward Party and the Move Forward Party to the People’s Party.
“I would like all parties to consider another perspective: In principle, the rigid application of ‘ethical standards’ without clear criteria, or with selective and unchecked application, can be used as a tool to completely and disproportionately destroy political opponents. And that is what is eroding and undermining our democratic system.
“This applies to the 10 members of parliament who are still serving. From the perspective of one who was suspended from duty for six months before returning to parliament, I believe there is no need to suspend them because:
“Firstly, their performance of duty is already under constitutional oversight mechanisms and has not caused any irreparable damage.
“Secondly, they play a crucial role in the work of parliament, both in enacting laws and in scrutinising the government’s work.
“And thirdly, totalling only 10 members of parliament, they could not repeat the same process of submitting a bill to parliament…
“Therefore, allowing these 10 individuals to continue performing their duties would not harm the government or public administration, nor would it weaken the opposition. Instead, it would safeguard the parliamentary system and ensure the continuity of their work for the people while their cases are under judicial review.”
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Top and Front Page – Former Move Forward MP Pita Limjaroenrat. Photos – Facebook
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