Rules stipulating qualifications for constitution-writers and criticised as discriminatory do not need to be revised, Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) chairman Noranit Setabutr insisted yesterday.

Noranit said time was limited and suggested hopeful writers disqualified by the qualification prerequisites look for something else to do.

His remarks follow complaints by some CDA members, including Komsan Photikong, who said minimum qualifications were restrictive and would result in a small elite writing the new constitution.

He vowed to raise the issue at Monday's CDA meeting.

Noranit insisted, however, the selection by the CDA of 25 charter-writers had to be completed by January 22. There is no time to change the rules, he said.

The Council for National Security (CNS) will appoint 10 others to form a 35-strong writing panel.

Noranit added that a new draft constitution needed to be complete in 180 days.

"Whatever CDA members want to do, they must also understand the time factor, which is limited. Please count how many days are left from January 8: not many. If we refer the matter back to the Cabinet how many more steps do we have to take? ... I shall be blamed if I can't even fulfil this first task," Noranit said.

He said the rules had been written and now they had to be obeyed.

The 180-day time frame for constitution-drafting has been set, and it is not for the members to change it, he said.

CDA member Chermsak Pinthong opposes the qualification rules and warned the junta and Noranit not to create a pretext for the public to boycott the new constitution.

Chermsak argued the selection process was being "manipulated by the powers that be". He said it should be up to the CDA to decide on criteria and the minimum qualifications for drafters.

"The rules need to be abolished. The Cabinet should scrap the rules and allow the CDA to determine new criteria," Chermsak said.

The former senator said regional representation was a good approach. Some 12 persons could represent the four regions and the other 13 be selected from experts in various fields. He warned it was imperative the CDA extinguish any doubt or mistrust the public might feel because it would lead to a no vote in the referendum on the new charter.

"If the referendum doesn't approve the constitution all eyes will be on the CNS, and it will surely be in trouble, because the constitution will then be deemed dictatorial.

"Thus the way to redress this is by widening the selection criteria so the public can participate in the drafting process and reduce any popular resistance."