Thailand gets a new constitution

Thailand’s king signed a new military-backed constitution yesterday that strengthens the army’s hand in government and puts the country on the path to polls after three years of junta rule. The military says the charter — Thailand’s twentieth since 1932 — will curb unrest in the politically-split kingdom and keep out corrupt lawmakers.  But opponents say the new document means any polls, whose date keeps slipping, will only offer Thais a form of neutered democracy with a fully appointed senate and tough controls on elected politicians. King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended the throne following the October death of his revered father, signed the document in a televised ceremony in Bangkok yesterday afternoon. In a solemn and ritual-laden affair, the 64-year-old king inked three copies of the charter, which were then stamped by white-clad officials and placed on gilded pillars before the monarch. An official then read the charter’s preamble before an audience of political grandees and ambassadors gathered in the ornate throne hall. “This constitution aims to fully rid the country of corruption, abuses of power and prevent corrupt politicians from taking office,” the official read with junta chief Prayut Chan-O-Cha by his side. Vajiralongkorn surprised many earlier this year by ordering rewrites to parts of the constitution that deal with his powers — a move that delayed its promulgation and the date for elections. The edits, revealed to the public for the first time yesterday, removed new powers that had been granted to the constitutional court to call a meeting in the event of a political crisis. The section now resembles its vaguely-worded predecessor in the previous 2007 charter, saying only that any unforeseen issues in the constitution should be handled in accordance with Thailand’s traditions as a constitutional monarchy.  That clause was frequently cited by royalist political movements in the past to call for a palace intervention during bouts of unrest.  Other edits relieved the king, who spends much of his time in Germany, of needing to appoint a regent whenever he travels abroad. The charter received popular approval in a referendum last August before the changes were made, although the poll’s legitimacy was tainted by a junta ban on campaigning. The generals have severely curbed free speech since their power grab by outlawing all political activities, muzzling the press and detaining scores of critics. Democracy has never fully taken in root in Thailand, where the army has launched more than a dozen coups since the end of absolute monarchy in 1932. Over the past 10 years, an especially turbulent period dubbed “the lost decade”, Thais have witnessed repeated rounds of deadly protests, a string of short-lived governments and two military coups that deposed elected leaders. Analysts say the new charter is aimed at blocking a political comeback from ousted premiers Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra, whose parties have won every poll since 2001. Their billionaire clan is popular among Thailand’s rural and urban poor but hated by Bangkok’s military-backed elite, who accuse the family of corruption, nepotism and damaging populist policies. In addition to an appointed upper house, the new constitution bolsters the powers of the country’s interventionist constitutional court and makes it easier to impeach a civilian leader. With royal approval secured, the junta’s drafting committee will now draw up organic laws that critics fear could further hem-in political parties, who have been barred from organising since the coup. The junta has said elections will be held in mid-2018 but officials have shied from providing a firm date. They have also vowed to draw up a “20-year plan” for the country that any future government will be bound to follow. This week ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is entangled in a negligence trial since the coup that could see her jailed, said she hoped the charter would speed up the kingdom’s return to democracy.