A proposed change to the political parties law has come under fire from a senator and leading academic for trying to remove restrictions against a non-member exerting control over a political party.
Senator Kittisak Rattanawaraha vowed on Tuesday that he would vote down an amendment put forth by the main opposition Pheu Thai Party, which he insisted would allow an outsider to meddle with and dominate a political party.
It is one of several issues proposed in a bid to amend the political parties law, one of two organic laws being fixed in parliament to facilitate elections now that the single-ballot election system has reverted to the dual-ballot method.
With two ballots, one will be used to elect a constituency MP and the other to choose a party.
Parliament will convene a joint sitting from tomorrow to Friday to deliberate amendments to the two organic law in tandem with the changed election system, which is reflected in the constitution.
Various parties and the cabinet have come up with their own draft amendments focusing on different issues. The government has decided the cabinet draft will be used as a core bill in pursuing amendments of the two organic laws.
Mr Kittisak said he would vote against the draft amendments initiated by the opposition parties.
He vowed never to let the party's draft see the light of day as it seeks to rewrite Sections 28 and 29 of the political parties law, allegedly to create leeway for a party outsider to dominate its internal affairs.
The two sections prohibit political parties from allowing a non-member to dominate and direct a party's affairs.
Jade Donavanik, former adviser to the Constitution Drafting Committee (CDC) and dean of the Faculty of Law at Dhurakij Pundit University, said the proposed amendment was most desired by Pheu Thai.
"They are rather keen to see Khun Tony Woodsome impart his opinions on it," said Mr Jade, referring to former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who is accused of pulling the party's strings.
Despite Pheu Thai's insistence that it was merely seeking opinions from outsiders, Mr Jade noted there have been political parties in the past that have acted as proxies for certain individuals.
Amendment or not, the two sections would not be able to harm a party if it was bound by a strong ideology, he said.
"I really cannot agree with tampering with the two sections. If a party is so lousy that it needs to invite an outsider to come in and tell it what to do, then it should quit being a political party," he said.
