Apiwan, former Thai deputy House speaker, backs charter change delay

Apiwan, former Thai deputy House speaker, backs charter change delay
Bangkok Post, January 5, 2012

Former deputy House speaker Apiwan Wiriyachai agrees with Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung that the charter amendment should be delayed for about eight months, saying that it is not urgent.

What should be tackled urgently is post-flood rehabilitation, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors.  Charter amendment could be carried out as planned after the people;s lives had returned to normal,  the Pheu Thai MP for Nonthaburi said on Thursday.

Col Apiwan said the government should not initiate charter amendment by itself, but should leave the matter to  members of the House of Representatives and the people.

As far as he knew, the Pheu Thai Party did not have a charter amendment draft to be submitted to parliament, he said.

Payap Panket, a Pheu Thai party list MP, said the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) had an amendment draft which might be submitted to parliament soon.

The UDD was in the process of gathering signatures to support it, he said.

Mr Payap, a UDD core member, said the UDD draft would call for the amendment of the entire constitution, not only Section 291, taking the 1997 constitution as a model.