"Self-serving" charter changes draw fire

       The joint sitting of parliament on proposed charter amendments has begun on an acrimonious note with politicians accused of trying to change the rules to serve their own purposes.
       Senator Rosana Tositrakul yesterday told the session the constitutional changes proposed by the Senate-House joint committee on national reconciliation and constitutional amendments were intended only to protect the interests of politicians in power.
       "The proposed amendments to six points of the constitution have resulted from politicians being intent on solving their own problems," the senator said.
       "This constitution offers the public considerable rights and liberties but there are still very many problems in enforcement. I don't see any representatives or the government trying to solve the problems to really provide the public with the constitutional rights they deserve."
       Mrs Rosana said politicians were unlikely to push for solutions that might threaten their own or their cronies'interests.
       The joint sitting came about after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva requested a debate on constitutional amendment proposals without a vote.
       The changes being proposed would affect the selection of MPs and senators,the requirement for parliament to approve international contracts, the dissolution of political partes, and MPs'intervention in the administration and budgeting of government projects.
       Democrat Party MP Niphon Wisityuthasart said he disagreed with the return to a single-constituency election system because it would encourage more vote buying.
       Opposition Puea Thai Party MP Thitima Chaisaeng called for the amendment of Article 237 which she said made the disbanding of parties for minor offences too easy.
       Puea Thai MP Chaiya Promma said the government should drop plans to set up a constitution drafting assembly to consider charter changes, which were just a bid to buy time.
       The joint houses debate ends today.
       The public is split on whether to modify the constitution, according to a national survey conducted by a US think-tank.
       Only a third of the 1,500 people interviewed by Asia Foundation in June and July in 26 provinces said they were confident the country was moving in the right direction, according to Tim Meisburger, the foundation's director of elections and political processes.
       Reasons for the generally pessimistic view included the economic slump and continuing political conflicts.
       It is Asia Foundation's first national survey of Thai voters conducted through face-to-face interviews with a random representative sample from all regions except the deep South.
       A survey in the South would be conducted later this year, he said.
       The survey also revealed the public was evenly split between those who believed charter change would reduce conflicts in the country and those who thought it might exacerbate them.
       The survey also revealed support for changes through a participatory process and for the amendments to be put to a national referendum.