Six months to rewrite the charter, says Bhokin
Bhokin Bhalakula, who is tasked with mapping out political reforms, said yesterday that rewriting the Constitution should involve a neutral assembly and take six months to complete.
The process should involve professional groups, representatives from independent organisations, former charter writers and academics, he said. "It should take about two months to form a neutral assembly of about 120 members to draft constitutional amendments," said Bhokin, who served as speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives. The rewriting process is expected to take six months and the draft will be subjected to a series of public hearings and the scrutiny of Parliament, he added. Should Parliament disagree with the draft, there might be a referendum, he said. Bhokin also said that he wanted the Constitution drafting panel to be made up of people who are neutral and come from different fields. Among others, they should include five former Constitution drafters, five representatives from the courts, five from independent organisations and five legal specialists. He said that if the drafting of the amendment goes well, it should be completed within a year. Professor Surapol Nitikraipot, Thammasat University rector, said he did not believe that drafting the Constitutional amendment should take that long. "The next government should be as short-lived as possible and it should not make decisions on policy levels - such as privatisation and the FTA,'' he said.
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