COMMENTARY : Make charter for people

COMMENTARY : Make charter for people.

THONGBAI THONGPAO

Qualified people were elected to lead the Constitution Drafting Council (CDC) last week, marking another auspicious step toward democracy.

Chairing the body, whose crucial task will shape the country's future in the years to come, is former Thammasat University rector Noranit Setabutr.

His deputies are former lawmakers and charter writers Dejo Savanananda and Seree Suwannapanon. They all pledged to finish the job within the timeframe.

The next step is to select the 35 members of the drafting committee, which will actually write the constitution. Twenty-five of these will be taken from the CDC, with the other ten being selected by the CNS.

Judging from the qualifications of the 100 members of the CDC, we will not be disappointed.

In addition to plugging all the loopholes of the 1997 charter, the new constitution is expected to contain some safeguards that will effectively prevent the corrupt from rising to power while opening doors for respectable men and women.

The rancour that has deeply divided the nation in recent years is the result of a power play.

On one side stand corrupt politicians seeking to bend the laws for the benefit of themselves and their cronies with no regard for the best interests of the nation.

On the other side stand decent people who can no longer tolerate such exploitation of power.

Since the two are as different as day and night, the result is sadly a torn nation, which will take years or even decades to heal.

The only way to put the country back on course is to get rid of the corrupt and pave the way for good men to enter politics both in the legislative and executive branches.

This is a tall order because evil has spread its seeds all over the country. Money politics, in which elections are mired by vote-buying, has taken roots so deeply and so long that most people have taken it for granted. This is so difficult to address, but somehow something has to be done if we are to proceed as a democratic nation.

Thai Rath daily reported that in the election in Borabue municipality in Maha Sarakham for council members, votes were bought quite openly, but the police turned a blind eye to it.

The offenders were allegedly former members of the old ruling party.

In the previous Senate election, the provincial election commission of Maha Sarakham issued red tickets to all three winners for blatant violations of the election law.

Yet the tickets were later revoked and the winners endorsed by the central Election Commissions at that time.

These are lessons that we should learn from.

We must pay more attention to prevent elections from turning into "democracy for sale" and eliminate this chronic disease.

While I was attending a seminar on the new charter at Rajabhat University Pibulsonggram campus in Phitsanulok on Jan 6, a participant asked why all constitutions we have had to date favoured those in power and the drafters themselves, while the people have gained so little from them. A tough question indeed, but it shows that even people in the provinces are aware of this fact.

A speaker at the seminar told an interesting story.

While the 1997 charter was still in effect, a petrol station prepared two gifts as a bonus for its customers to choose from - a pocket version of the constitution and a basket of eggs. Most patrons chose to take the eggs home.

Funny as it may seem, the incident tells a lot about the democratic development in our country, which the drafters of the new charter should take note of. No matter how good a charter is, it is useless as long as the majority of the people do not understand it or recognise its intentions.

We must not write a charter to keep on the shelf, but one that the people can understand, relate to, value and abide by. Only then will democracy blossom on solid ground. Failure to do so will result in a vicious cycle in which constitutions are torn one after another only to be written again.

Perspective
Bangkok Post
Monday January 15, 2007