House Secretary Defends Process on 6 October Legacy Bill
The House Secretary clarified that the Speaker did not reject the citizen-backed draft bill to revoke the 1976 coup-era Announcement No. 41; instead, the Second Deputy Speaker ruled it failed to meet constitutional criteria for public-initiated legislation. Officials say the proposal can be resubmitted after correcting its format and content.
At a press conference on November 9 at Parliament, House Secretary Sirawit Phatthaphan addressed reports that the Speaker had declined to accept a draft royal decree to cancel Announcement No. 41 of the National Reform Council, which had garnered nearly 60,000 citizen signatures. Sirawit explained that under the law, citizen-initiated bills must fall under Category 3 (rights and liberties) or Category 5 (state duties) of the Constitution. Upon review, the Secretariat found only 26 MPs had initiated the proposal, and the draft's content amended criminal penalty rates rather than matching its title or the proper legislative format for amending the Penal Code. The Secretariat coordinated with the 26 initiators to correct the format, but they declined and insisted on proceeding. The matter was then referred to Second Deputy Speaker Lertsak Phathanchaikul, who had been tasked by the Speaker to vet all draft bills from the Cabinet, MPs, and the public. Sirawit emphasized that the Speaker was not the decision-maker here; the process remains at the proposal stage, so initiators may resubmit. The Secretariat stands ready to assist in drafting a constitutionally compliant version. Regarding plans by supporters to gather at Parliament on November 10, Sirawit said the House welcomes dialogue but suggested sending representatives to discuss with the legislative affairs team. He characterized the public campaign "Erase the 6 October Coup Legacy or We Will Seize Power" as stemming from a misunderstanding, noting the bill was not rejected but must follow the constitutional framework.
