The ruling Bhumjaithai Party (BJT) says it is not opposed to a member of another party chairing the parliamentary committee vetting constitutional amendment drafts, as the opposition Pheu Thai Party prepares to nominate Chusak Sirinil for the post when the panel meets later on Monday.
BJT list MP Korawee Prisananantakul, a member of the House-Senate joint committee on constitutional amendments, said on Sunday the committee will fill up key positions and set a working schedule in its first meeting on Monday.
While BJT has yet to decide whether it will nominate a candidate for committee chair, Mr Korawee said the party has no issue if an MP from another party assumes the post.
“There are several qualified candidates, such as Chusak Sirinil or Cholnan Srikaew from Pheu Thai who are well-versed in legal matters,” Mr Korawee said.
However, since the charter draft proposed by the People’s Party has been picked as the core reference for the amendment effort, he said appointing a chairman from that party would be more appropriate.
“If the BJT’s version had been selected as the main draft, we would have proposed someone from our side — such as Paradorn Prisananantakul — as chair,” he said.
“But since it’s not our draft, we don’t mind if the chair comes from another party. What’s important is maintaining a constructive atmosphere within the committee.”
On concerns that the committee might touch on chapters 1 and 2 of the constitution — which cover the state’s fundamental principles and the monarchy — Mr Korawee said the issue should be discussed by the committee.
“Our draft explicitly stated those chapters would not be amended,” he said, noting that Pheu Thai had shown no signs of disagreement on this point.
“If we want genuine progress in amending the constitution, we should avoid anything that could lead to its failure.”
Key Pheu Thai member and Nan MP, Cholnan Srikaew defended the party’s decision to nominate Mr Chusak.
“He is highly qualified and has long experience in constitutional work. However, the final decision rests with the committee,” said Dr Cholnan, a former Pheu Thai leader.