BANGKOK — The People’s Party, formerly known as the Move Forward Party that was dissolved last week, made a statement through party-list MP Parit Wacharasindhu at the Parliament building regarding the Constitutional Court’s ruling to remove Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin from office.
The People’s Party expressed concern and disagreement with today’s events on August 14.
‘While the People’s Party affirms that those holding political positions should have ethics and integrity, ethics is a matter that can be interpreted differently by different people. Therefore, ethics should be a matter of political responsibility decided by the people,’ he said.
The People’s Party disagrees with the 2017 Constitution giving the Constitutional Court and independent organizations the monopoly to interpret ethical standards at their own discretion, risking being used as a tool to remove elected political office holders, as in the case of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin today.
Srettha himself stated that he respected the court’s ruling, but regretted being branded as a Prime Minister lacking in ethics. ‘That’s not who I am,’ he said.
Parit continued that the People’s Party believes today’s events will make all sectors of society more clearly see the urgent need to draft a new constitution, review the scope of powers of the Constitutional Court and independent organizations, and determine that ethical standards should be a matter of political responsibility. The People’s Party MPs will continue to work as members of the House of Representatives to push for changes beneficial to the people.
When asked about today’s ruling compared to the ruling to dissolve the Move Forward Party on August 7, Parit stated that although the two events are different cases, they further raise societal questions about the necessity to review the powers of the Constitutional Court.
He questioned how to make the Constitutional Court and independent organizations have appropriate powers, how to have a process for appointing Constitutional Court judges and independent organization officials that is more connected to the people, and how to have rules for checks and balances. This requires further constitutional amendments.
He hoped that the drafting of a new constitution would come from a Constitution Drafting Assembly elected by the people.
Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, Secretary-General of the Progressive Movement, posted a message saying: At this time, Thailand has neither a Prime Minister nor an Opposition Leader. In a normal situation, this would be the time for the Prime Minister to dissolve parliament and wait for new elections. But the abnormal condition that allows this to happen is a coup.
‘We must not forget that General Prayuth Chan-o-cha’s name is still on the list of Prime Minister nominees for the United Thai Nation Party. If political parties in the House of Representatives ‘collude’ to nominate and vote for General Prayuth to become Prime Minister, with him resigning from the Privy Council, it would be no different from a Constitutional Coup.
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