House Speaker Wan Muhamad Noor Matha on Monday urged MPs and senators to put aside their differences to pave the way for the drafting of a new charter, amid concerns that the House may be dissolved before the charter amendment bill is passed.
Mr Wan called on members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate to work together and avoid creating conditions that could obstruct the charter rewrite effort.
He said the charter amendment bill, which a parliamentary committee is reviewing, does not yet go into the details of the charter but focuses on the proposed establishment of a constitution-drafting assembly (CDA) to write a new one.
His remarks came as the opposition Pheu Thai Party was preparing to file a censure motion against the minority government led by the Bhumjaithai (BJT) Party. The move could accelerate a House dissolution ahead of the Jan 31 schedule next year.
Prime Minister and BJT leader Anutin Charnvirakul reaffirmed the political timeline as he joined the unveiling of BJT election candidates contesting four constituencies in Trang on Monday.
The candidates included former Democrat Party MP Sunatcha Losathapornpipit, whose father, veteran politician Somchai Losathapornpipit, announced that he would leave the Democrats if another veteran, Sathit Wongnongtoey, remained in the party.
Mr Anutin also expressed confidence that voters in the southern region would continue to support the BJT, which expanded its regional presence in the previous general election by winning eight seats. The South was previously dominated by the Democrats.
Rangsiman Rome, a list-MP of the main opposition People’s Party, said the party was open to discussions with Pheu Thai about a possible no-confidence motion, and it had yet to decide whether to target the entire cabinet or specific ministers. He said the motion could focus on graft allegations and scam operations, adding that if the government showed no sincerity in pursuing a charter rewrite, the issue could be included in the debate as well.
Pheu Thai deputy leader Sorawong Thienthong said his party could submit a no-confidence motion on its own because it has enough House seats to do so. He stressed, however, that evidence and political timing must be carefully considered. He said that talks were underway between his party and PP to coordinate the proposed no-confidence motion, adding that if such a motion is accepted when parliament reconvenes in December, the government would not be able to dissolve the House to avoid scrutiny.
At the weekend, deputy Pheu Thai leader Visuth Chainaroon said internal discussions on the timing and scope of the censure motion were still ongoing and newly elected party leader Julapun Amornvivat would hold talks with PP to see whether it would join.
According to Mr Sorawong, the party plans to form new political alliances, including that with the Asavahame family in Samut Prakan province.