The ruling Pheu Thai Party will propose a charter amendment bill seeking to make changes to Section 256 to pave the way for the establishment of a charter drafting assembly (CDA), says chief government whip Wisut Chainarun.
He said the party-sponsored bill will be tabled along with the one submitted earlier by the main opposition People's Party (PP) which is expected to be debated by parliament in the middle of this month.
Mr Wisut said he discussed the matter with Pheu Thai legal specialist Chousak Sirinil and confirmed that Pheu Thai's version would be presented to a meeting of the party's MPs on Tuesday so they would be briefed on the principles of the bill before its submission to parliament on Wednesday.
Previously Mr Chousak said that Pheu Thai would decide on Tuesday if it would propose its own version of the charter amendment bill seeking to set up the CDA. The party's bill proposes revising Section 256 to establish the 200-member CDA with people elected from across the country.
Mr Wisut said he did not mind if a petition is lodged with the Constitutional Court to rule if the charter proposals seeking to form the CDA are constitutional.
He said a fresh court ruling would straighten the matter out after the ruling in 2021 left some wondering if the bill can be deliberated by parliament.
In its ruling, the court said the people with the power to establish the constitution must first decide in a referendum whether they want a new one.
Wisut: Unfazed by legal challenges
Following this, a bill seeking to set up a CDA was rejected by parliament in its third and final reading as it did not garner enough support from the House and the Senate.
"We must ask for the party's approval first, and if we get it, we will submit the bill to parliament the next day. We have no issue with any petition," said Mr Wisut.
Parliament is scheduled to scrutinise various charter amendment bills section-by-section from Jan 14–15, with its president Wan Muhamad Noor Matha saying he would include the PP's bill seeking to amend Section 256 to set up the CDA.
Mr Wan is due to meet with the government, opposition and Senate whips on Wednesday to discuss which amendment bill will be considered first.
Democrat list MP Jurin Laksanawisit on Friday reserved his opinions about the charter amendment bills, saying he would consider each one individually before making a decision.
The former leader of the Democrat Party, which joined the administration of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, also said that each party should be able to decide if it would support any of the bills because it has its own stance regarding charter amendments.
