Despite pressing calls for the disclosure of the Senate name list by the people's sector, the government has remained tight-lipped about its choices which will play a crucial role in the appointment of the next prime minister.
Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told the media yesterday that the list was ready, yet dodged reporters' questions about who will join the 250-strong Senate. He merely said the complete list will be presented to His Majesty the King on Friday for royal endorsement. His refusal to disclose the names leaves the public to continue guessing who is to serve in the prestigious Upper House.
Mr Wissanu's refusal was in line with that of Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon who also chairs the Senate selection panel. On Thursday, Gen Prawit confirmed completion of the list but declined to give details, offering only the convenient excuse: "I don't remember who's who".
Since Gen Prawit was named Senate panel chief by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), he has conducted the selection process in a hush-hush manner. He has even kept secret the names of those serving on the panel.
In remaining tight-lipped, both senior cabinet figures have effectively shunned calls by civic groups including iLaw, a non-profit organisation advocating social reform, that the Senate list should be revealed to the public before it is approved as a show of transparency. But no one seems to care.
The role of the Senate, as stipulated in Section 272 of the 2017 charter drafted by a coup-installed committee under legal adviser Meechai Ruchupan, is to vote for the next prime minister, together with elected members of parliament. As the political battle between two opposite camps, the pro-regime and anti-military sides, intensifies, such a role is unprecedented for the senators who, according to the charter, will serve a five-year term.
The submission of the names on Friday will come three days after MPs are officially certified by the Election Commission this week. So far, only six senators are known for sure, as the charter reserves positions for the leaders of the armed forces, the supreme commander, the defence permanent secretary and national police chief. Of the remaining seats, 194 were to be directly appointed by the Prawit panel while the final 50 were chosen by a combination of intra-professional or social group voting overseen by the EC and then NCPO panel selection.
It is understood that a number of current cabinet ministers as well as members of the NCPO-picked National Legislative Assembly (NLA) will get the nod.
Mr Wissanu disclosed that he encouraged cabinet members who intend to move to the Senate to wait until the coronation ceremonies are over before submitting their resignation letters to the prime minister's secretary.
There are reports that NLA members who have been nominated by the NCPO are to receive an SMS text telling them to prepare documents showing their biographical details and listing the assets they possess to prove their eligibility. So far, prospective senators speculated by local media include NLA president Pornpetch Wichitcholchai, NLA vice-president Surachai Liengboonlertchai and former social activist Wallop Tangkananurak among others.
Over the past weeks, iLaw has complained its attempts to have the NCPO and other agencies release the Senate list have been futile. It's clear that both the EC and the military have no intention of providing anyone with access to the information.
The agency filed a complaint with the Office of the Official Information Commission in the hope that it would help force those concerned to release the list.
The NCPO and the military regime should reconsider the issue. It's true that the public will eventually have no say in whether the list should be altered, but disclosing it beforehand would give the public a chance to help scrutinise and check the qualifications of the nominated senators before they enter the approval process. On the other hand, keeping the process secret suggests behind-the-scenes bargaining and an air of subterfuge.
On top of that, not revealing the nominated list to the public gives the impression that there might be a hidden agenda. This is no exaggeration. Earlier in March, Gen Prawit expressed confidence the 250 senators must be people the military regime "can control". Such a statement drew ire.
If anything, it suggests the Senate has been reduced to mere political machinery designed to allow the military to stay on in power.
Such a political agenda would set an unhealthy tone for the country's transformation back to democracy; a system in which transparency and accountability are, in principle, the name of the game.
