The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) is unlikely to initiate the amendment of the organic law on political parties, second vice-president Peerasak Porjit said yesterday.
He also said people should not just assume or forecast groundlessly about how the NLA will decide on the issue.
He was responding to the comment by Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Friday that the organic law on political parties can be amended through the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) chief's invocation of the powerful Section 44 of the previous interim charter, which has been carried over in the current constitution. The other way to amend the law is through the normal legislative procedure via the NLA but the government cannot initiate a process to change the law.
Mr Peerasak said that although 25 NLA members can start a motion for a law amendment, the law on political parties is not a topic where the NLA would initiate a change. The government is eligible to propose a change to the NLA, but the government has not sent any signal to the NLA that it wants one.
"To change any law, it needs to follow Section 77 of the constitution that requires a public hearing. Therefore, it is not anything that someone can conspire without acknowledgement of other people -- that's against the constitution. If the NCPO wants to change the law, it needs to gather opinions from all sectors in the country including political parties. There's no chance they can do this secretly," Mr Peerasak said.
Last week former People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban and Paiboon Nititawan, head of the People's Network for Reform, called on the NLA to amend the organic law governing political parties to ensure fairness for all parties.
The calls have drawn flak from critics who suspect they are a political ruse aimed at delaying the general election and prolonging the regime's hold on power. Meanwhile, the calls also come amid a growing clamour by political parties for the NCPO to lift the ban on political activities.
Mr Peerasak said he did not believe Mr Suthep and Mr Paiboon proposed the law changes to prolong the NCPO's power as the delay in the election would also affect them.
He said there are some possible solutions to the problems related to the organic law on political parties that do not involve changing the law. Political parties can contact the Election Commission to extend the deadline for updating party member databases. According to the law, the current deadline will fall on Jan 5, which is 90 days after the promulgation of the organic law on political parties.
Veteran politician Somsak Thepsuthin has called for MP candidates to be independent so that they do not have to come from a political party.
But former Pheu Thai MP Samart Kaewmeechai said it was impossible as the constitution has already been promulgated, and Thailand has decided to have political parties in the system.
"If MPs do not come from political parties, there will be a lot of problems just like in the past. While forming a government, a PM candidate will seek support from those MPs and they will stick together just as long as they share benefits. The government will lack stability," he said.
However, Amnuay Klangpha, a former MP from the same party, said he agreed with scrapping the party system as people have been divided for a long time. In the transition period, political position holders over the past 10 years, including the NCPO and NLA members, should be banned from running in the next election so that new faces can come in and move the country forward, he said.
