The constitution is dead?

From the Thai-language press: The constitution is dead? - editorial of Thairath, September 28, 2005

Is it a coincidence that two days ago there was one academic (Mr. Somkiet Pongpaiboon, Rajabhat of Rachasima University) and one politician (Abishit Vejjachiva, Democrat Party leader) who gave the same opinion of the present political situation?

Ajarn Somkiet said at the seminar of “The Senate listens to the people” that this senate came from political reform and had independence to oversee the law for the first two years. However by the third year, we can see that it was interfered with by the government so it can be controlled and direct lots of votes. This interferes with its independence and standards.

Mr. Abisit gave a special lecture to Master Degree students in the Political Science Faculty that independent organizations are not really independent because no organization that can resist the power of the big party. The mass media group is also covered and newspapers were bought. Other media concealed the news that was different from the government and recently the “The Weekly Thailand “ program which criticized government was withdrawn.

It is accepted that not only the senate, but also the Election Commission, Constitutional Court and the Auditor-General cannot operate in their work independently.

The first Auditor-General after the office began, Khunying Jaruwan Maintaka, had done well checking the strange details of big projects such as Suwanabhumi construction and long distance local call through satellite, etc. This becomes a big obstacle for government officials and politicians who are corrupt and face their fate as we have seen.

The independent organizations' work was independent and accepted by people at first because it was not interfered. But when the powers realized that the independent organizations had the power to penalize or put politicians in jail or obstruct political power, the situation changed.

At present, independent organizations have problems such as the Election Commission of Thailand and the State Audit Commission, etc. The most important is the peoples' trust because this is not the peoples‘ hope. For the solution, even the former constitution drafter, Mr. Kanin Boonsuwan, may have to write a book called “The Constitution is Dead." Is the Constitution now only letters on paper?