Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 19 Nov 1992 10:57:21 EST
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: Chuan wants curb on poll comments

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 00:49:37+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>
Subject: Bangkok Post Nov 18: Chuan wants to curb governor poll comments

PRIME Minister Chuan Leekpai has urged Cabinet members to observe
political etiquette as coalition partners and stop commenting in
public on the controversial provincial governor election issue,
reliable Cabinet sources said yesterday.

The Premier's request came at the Cabinet meeting yesterday in the
wake of Palang Dharma Party's call on the coalition parties to
come together and settle the Government's position on the issue.

Government spokesman Abhisit Vejjajiva later told a press
conference that the Prime Minister wanted all coalition partners
to wait for the findings of an Interior Ministry-appointed
committee which is studying the matter.

The findings of the committee would be discussed in the Cabinet so
that a joint stand can be reached, he said.

Deputy Interior Minister Chamni Sakdiset, a Palang Dharma MP who
was elected from Nakhon Si Thammarat, called on the coalition
parties to adopt a joint position on his party's proposal to have
elected provincial governors.

His statement was in response to Mr Chuan's comments Monday that
it may take the Government five years to prepare the country for
such a change.

Mr Chamni told reporters the coalition parties should seriously
discuss the matter and make it a priority issue.

"We can't go on saying that we can't include the issue as the
coalition's policy because we are a coalition government," said Mr
Chamni.

He said each coalition partner has given separate interviews on
the issue and "it's time we got together to settle the problem
since we have been commenting on it for a long time now without
taking any concrete steps, except the panel appointed by the
Interior Ministry to study the matter."

For PDP, he added, it was an important issue and once a consensus
is reached on the matter it will enhance the Government's unity.

On Deputy Prime Minister Banyat Bantadtan's comment that coalition
partners must compromise on their party's policies, Mr Chamni said
he agreed that each party was bound to comply with the agreed
coalition's policy.

He said he understood well the nature of a coalition government
and that it was not possible to impose an individual party's
policy on its partners.

But he added that the working process can be decided, consulted
and reviewed periodically and not be fixed by the policy statement
in Parliament alone.

Deputy Prime Minister Boonchu Rojanasatien confirmed that the
gubernatorial election bill proposed by the Palang Dharma had
nothing to do with the Government.

He said it's a promise the party made during its election
campaign. And therefore, it feels obligated to honour its pledge.

The Deputy Prime Minister insisted there was no conflict in the
five-party coalition and what the PDP had proposed needed closer
consultation among its partners.

When asked why the PDP didn't consult its coalition partners
before making it an issue, Mr Boonchu hit back by saying why
should the PDP consult others when it had a commitment to fulfil.

"We tried to champion an idea. Whether it will succeed depends on
the coalition government," he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy House Speaker Thawil Praison (PDP) said
yesterday his party's draft bill calling for elected provincial
governors will be completed soon and submitted to the party by
Friday.

Mr Thawil, who is drafting the bill, said when it is submitted to
the coalition's parliamentary coordinating committee he will
attend its meeting to explain and clarify the points in the bill.

The committee's decision on the issue would be final but it should
be able to explain why certain provinces don't qualify for
governor election and specify the criteria for readiness of
others, the Deputy House Speaker said.

If the Government decides not to allow provinces like Phuket --
considered one of the most suitable provinces to start with -- to
have an elected governor, then it should expand the existing
municipality to cover the entire province.

Its mayor should also be directly elected and the power of the
provincial governor should be reduced to a minimum, he said. Such
an arrangement would be a compromise acceptable to him, the Deputy
House Speaker said.

Mr Thawil said the findings of the Interior-appointed committee
could be valuable in the decision-making but the Government does
not have to accept it as a basis for all its decisions on the
issue.

The PDP MP also denied an accusation by Deputy Interior Minister
Suthas Ngernmuen, a Democrat, that in pushing for the bill Palang
Dharma was showing total disregarded for political etiquette as a
coalition partner.

He said it is the duty of MPs to make laws and that other
coalition partners, including the Democrat and New Aspiration
parties, have proposed bills to Parliament without bringing them
to the attention of the coordinating committee.

The NAP-sponsored Islamic bill, for example, was forwarded to
Parliament without debate by government whips, he added.
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