WATCHDOG
Postponing poll is an effective solution to the political impasse
If you asked Kanin Boonsuwan what should be done to defuse the current political crisis, the constitutional expert who helped draft the 1997 charter would say without hesitation that caretaker premier Thaksin Shinawatra should step down immediately and the authorities should then focus on possible solutions to the increasingly uncertain April 2 snap election.
On the one hand, the Election Commission (EC) has indicated that the polls may have to be postponed because there is the prospect that the result will be unsatisfactory due to the inability to fill all 500 seats, thus blocking the convening of a new House of Representatives. On the other hand, Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party still hope to see the election held on April 2 as scheduled, even though hundreds of candidates have been already been disqualified by the EC and it would be against the law to permit a fresh round of applications. There are now only some 600 candidates qualified to contest the 500 seats, most of them fielded by the Thai Rak Thai since all three former opposition parties, Democrat, Chat Thai and Mahachon, are boycotting the election. Given this scenario, the Thai political system will be heading towards deadlock if the election goes ahead as scheduled. In Kanin's opinion it would be useless to delay the polls by another two weeks or a month. By law, the election has to be held within 60 days of the House dissolution on February 24. To avert the impending national crisis, Kanin suggested that Pol General Vassana Permlarp, the EC chairman, consider a 120-day postponement of the polls by resorting to Article 7 of the Constitution, because the current political situation is not normal. The EC chairman may do so by submitting the proposal to HM the King. If the proposal is approved, the election should be held some time in late July. Postponing the polls for another 120 days would be fairer and more acceptable because all former opposition parties would have more time to prepare. Dissidents within Thai Rak Thai could also contest the election from another party. They cannot do so currently because every MP candidate is required to be a member of a party for at least 90 days before the election. Delaying the election by 120 days would also enable any group to set up a new party to contest it. According to Kanin, the EC should focus on supervising the upcoming Senate election on April 19 if the House election is put off to the second half of this year. He also suggested that the new Senate should set up an independent body of selected senators, academics, non-government organisations and other civic groups to consider amendments to the Constitution. The new Senate may then submit the proposed amendments to the new House for approval. If rejected, the amendments should be decided by a national referendum. According to Kanin, a 120-day postponement of the election would also ensure that the grand royal and state ceremonies to mark HM the King's 60 years on the throne, scheduled for this May and June, are not affected. Foreign kings, queens and heads of state have been invited to attend these important events, so there should be no political impasse at the time. As for the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), Kanin said the anti-Thaksin movement would end once Thaksin quit as caretaker premier. These measures, if adopted by the parties concerned, should restore normalcy in the Thai political system. The Constitution will remain intact, and any amendments will be carried out properly. These measures will also quickly restore confidence in the Thai economy, which will otherwise be hit hard by a protracted political crisis.
Nophakhun Limsamarnphun nop1122@yahoo.com
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