Junta no babysitter for caretaker government
The military authority will not babysit when an interim cabinet has taken office. Nor is it going to issue any instructions to the government or officials.
With this original comparison Visanu Krue-ngam, one of the architects of the provisional constitution, tries to allay concerns about continued interference from the junta.
Opposition leader Abhisit writes on his Facebook page: “I think the population understands why the NCPO (National Council for Peace and Order, junta) wants to retain the power to deal with unforeseen circumstances, but the question is why it is allowed to intervene in the legislature and judiciary.'
The provisional constitution gives the junta that power, but Visanu deems it unlikely that the constitution makes use of this article.
Another hot topic is the ban on politicians from sitting in the legislative assembly that will be formed and the committee that will write the final constitution. That ban reflects the junta's negative attitude towards politicians, says a source at the former governing party Pheu Thai.
He explains: 'The NCPO believes that nothing will change if politicians are allowed to participate in the process. The coup plotters see politicians as one of the instigators of the political conflict. So they have to be kept out.'
Bangkok Post Just like yesterday, a large part of the front page is devoted to the provisional constitution, which received the approval of the king the day before yesterday. The newspaper cites Article 35 as the most important news item, which lists ten issues that must be properly regulated in the final constitution. One is the fight against corruption. According to Visanu, the final constitution will exclude politicians who are guilty of electoral fraud from political office.
Another point that needs to be properly regulated is the spending of state funds. Populist measures that could cause long-term economic damage must be avoided. [Consider the mortgage system for rice]
(Source: Bangkok Post, July 24, 2014)