PM Samak on the possible dissolution of Parliament

Posted on April 22, 2008 by admin
PM Samak on the possible dissolution of Parliament - translated and summarized from Komchadluek, April 22, 2008
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej stated during last Sunday's broadcast of the weekly "Samak's Style of Talk" television program, that he might consider dissolving parliament after completing his proposed revisions to the 2007 Constitution. The implications of this statement need to be closely examined. His government’s proposed revision of the current constitution has drawn strong criticism from those members of the public who perceive that such a revision might mainly benefit his own People Power Party (PPP) and the ‘old power’ group of Thaksin Shinawatra. The charter revision is likely to include a proposal to shorten the allocated life span of each new Electoral Commission (EC) and National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC). These two organizations have both recently taken measures that have acted as a brake on the power of the current government. The EC launched an inquiry into alleged vote buying by the PPP after the December 23 General Election that could eventually lead to the its dissolution. Meanwhile, the NCCC has launched an inquiry into alleged corruption by ousted PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
I am of the firm belief that the PM needs to thoroughly reconsider any attempt by his government to revise the current constitution. Any perception that the revision is mainly of benefit to the PPP could lead to serious political conflict. Such conflict would jeopardize the peace of this nation, and result in a loss of public confidence in the Samak Government. And this might, in turn, cause another coup d’etat to occur.
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