Nattapong Slams Bhumjaithai's Constitutional Amendment Draft for Violating Three Core Principles and Locking in Monopoly
Pheu Thai's Nattapong rejected Bhumjaithai's constitutional amendment draft, saying it violates three core principles including public participation and prevents political monopolies, and called on all parties to align with these demands be
At 9:30 AM on May 21, 2025, at Parliament, Nattapong Rueangpanya, Pheu Thai party leader and list MP, discussed the constitutional amendment requiring 20% opposition support, which raised questions about whether Kla Dharma party might vote for Bhumjaithai's draft.
"Our duty right now is to push for three core principles: Don't exclude the public from the equation—ensure public participation in decision-making at all stages, from the beginning to the end. Prevent any process that creates a monopoly for any single political party. Don't increase the Senate's power in drafting the new constitution," Nattapong stated.
He emphasized that Pheu Thai would send these demands to all political parties and is ready to sign any draft from any party that aligns with these three principles.
Regarding speculation about Kla Dharma's true opposition status, Nattapong said he couldn't criticize another party but wanted to send the same three-principle demands to Kla Dharma as to all other parties.
On the Prime Minister's claim that the constitutional amendment reflects the people's will, Nattapong disagreed, arguing that true public will means a constitution serving as supreme law ensuring transparency and real public power.
When asked if Bhumjaithai's draft aligns with Pheu Thai's three principles, Nattapong said he had reviewed some details and found it violates all three. The draft lacks public participation mechanisms and creates a monopoly through proportional representation while separating the proportion of MPs and Senators. He calculated that if one political group controls a Senate majority, gaining two-sevenths of appointees plus their lower house votes from 500 seats would exceed half, constituting monopoly control. Additionally, the draft increases Senate power—contrary to the principle of not expanding its authority.
Asked whether the Bhumjaithai draft would ultimately be defeated, Nattapong said he hadn't reviewed all details but noted that the key phase is the committee review stage, where political negotiations would determine which draft best aligns with the three principles to advance to the first reading, then to committee negotiations in the second reading.
On whether Pheu Thai would sign a second Memorandum of Agreement, Nattapong indicated the decision depends on future political context and how negotiations with the parliamentary political party coordination committee (VIP) and the various constitutional amendment drafts develop.
