The Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) yesterday shrugged off the risk that two draft organic laws on the election of MPs and appointment of senators would be shot down by the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) after the 240-day time frame for drawing them up.
CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan said the CDC will stay on until all the 10 organic bills are passed into laws and, if the two drafts are rejected, the CDC would just rework contentious points.
Concerns are growing as the deadline for drafting the 10 bills, within eight months of the constitution's promulgation on April 6, is approaching. The CDC has finished most of them, but the NLA has deliberated only a few.
Moreover, the three remaining bills, one on the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and the two on parliamentarians, are expected to be controversial.
Asked if the CDC and the NLA would set up a joint panel to scrutinise the bills to speed up the work, he said it would be unnecessary because they coordinate with each other.
Mr Meechai also gave assurances the 10 organic bills would be completed within the 240-day time frame. While admitting it takes time to carefully draft the bills related to the elections of MPs and appointment of senators, Mr Meechai said the deadline would be met.
CDC spokesman Udom Rathamarit said the CDC would forward the draft on the trial procedures of the Constitutional Court to the NLA this week.
The bill on the NACC is likely to be completed and forwarded to the NLA in late October.
