Bangkok: Prem Sak submitted a request to the Senate President to set a meeting agenda for the Senate to express its stance on amending the constitution. Premsak submitted a request to the Senate President to set a meeting agenda for the Senate to express his position on amending the constitution. He also requested that the Senate relinquish its powers to free the country from the curse of amending the constitution.
According to Thai News Agency, Senator Dr. Premsak Piayura announced that he had submitted a request to Senate President Mongkol Surasajja to include the matter on the agenda for the Senate's consultation meeting on September 15th regarding constitutional amendments. This follows the Constitutional Court's ruling on the amendment process, which required a three-way referendum. This is to allow senators to express their position on the issue and ensure they do not fall behind the political parties' comments and stances on the proposed constitutional amendment at the House Committee on Political Development and Public Participation meeting on September 11th.
"If the Senate remains indifferent or unclear, it could be perceived as neglecting and not giving it due importance. Therefore, requesting the Senate to convene for a consultation on September 15th will be a way to gather their opinions on whether they agree and whether it will lead to constitutional amendments. Amendments require at least one-third of the Senate, or 67 votes, to approve them. Failure to obtain sufficient votes would be a deadlock for constitutional revision. I hope the Senate will join the movement, as the Bhumjaithai Party now leads the government," said Dr. Premsak.
Dr. Premsak further stated that regarding the Constitutional Court's ruling on the establishment of a Constitution Drafting Assembly (CDA) that does not grant direct citizen elections, he believes there is a way to implement this. This is by using the 40 CDAs, which select one member from each province and 23 qualified individuals, totaling 99 arhats, to draft the best, most democratic constitution. Therefore, while the CDA cannot be directly elected by the people, the people can nominate a candidate from each province, with Parliament selecting one member per province, and selecting experts in law and political science to serve. He believes that drafting a constitution could take two years.
Dr. Premsak also stated that regarding the referendum, which the Constitutional Court has mandated to be held three times, but which can be combined with the first and second rounds, he proposed a combined question: the first question: Do the people agree that there should be a new constitution The second question concerns the content and procedures of the referendum.
"Therefore, once the constitution is amended and the parliament approves it, it can be put to a referendum, along with a general election, within four months after the parliament is dissolved," said Dr. Premsak.
When asked whether the proposed amendment to Section 256 of the Constitution, which could remove the requirement for a one-third Senate vote, would elicit Senate approval, as it would cut off their power, Dr. Premsak stated that if the country doesn't want to face a repeat of the constitutional crisis and avoid the curse, all parties should consider the country and the problems awaiting resolution. They must relinquish their power to prevent a repeat of the constitutional crisis.