Banharn drive over charter rewrite, red shirt threat to be big headache The fragile government coalition led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva is bracing for fresh challenges when Parliament reconvenes tomorrow.
Waiting to test the coalition's stability are a drive led by coalition heavyweight Banharn Silapa-Archa to amend the Constitution and a censure motion. Those are in addition to a big headache from outside Parliament - the red shirts' threat of an "all-out war" against their political enemies.
Banharn, a veteran politician and former prime minister, has already kicked off his campaign for constitutional amendment, which is viewed as a bid to pressure the Democrat Party and as a key factor in the coalition's survival.
Now chief adviser to the coalition Chart Thai Pattana Party, Banharn made it clear he was dissatisfied with the slow progress in fixing weak points in the charter. And the Democrats, the largest coalition partner, have been accused of dragging their feet.
He is wooing other coalition parties to join the effort to revise the Constitution.
Banharn's Chart Thai party, which he served as the leader, was dissolved by court order in late 2008. The party's reincarnation, Chart Thai Pattana, joined a new coalition led by the Democrats.
A source from the coalition Puea Pandin Party saw a hidden motive in Banharn's movement.
"This game won't end at constitutional amendment. It will extend to include bargaining on the censure debate," the source said.
The constitution issue would be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with the Democrat Party on support during the censure debate.
"If the Democrats fail to cooperate on constitutional amendment, there could be a big problem with the coalition," the source said.
A switch of political camps was likely if that was the case, the source said.
The smaller political parties needed charter changes, particularly regarding the designation of constituencies, to improve their odds in the next general election, the source said.
Another coalition source, from Chart Thai Pattana, quoted Banharn as saying that now was the "most appropriate" time to pressure the Democrats into reshaping the charter.
"The Democrats have shown they are selfish and they have never thought of other coalition parties. If we don't do it now, we won't have another chance," Banharn was quoted as saying.
This coming week will be a busy one for Banharn as he has an appointment with key figures from Bhum Jai Thai today, Puea Pandin tomorrow, and Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana and Social Action next Monday. The discussion is expected to centre on the charter issue.
Banharn's goal is to gather the support of at least 95 MPs, representing the minimum one-fifth of all MPs required to file a motion for constitutional amendment. To make sure the bid succeeds without help from the House's two largest parties - the Democrats and Pheu Thai - Banharn's campaign will need more MPs from two smaller opposition parties, Pracharaj and Matubhum. The alliance of seven small parties will bring together 114 MPs.
Abhisit brushed off Banharn's charter push, saying such a move should not be construed as driving a wedge in the coalition.
"There is no problem because the charter rewrite is a legislative agenda and there is no disagreement among the coalition partners on the proposed amendments," he said.
The Democrats would meet on Saturday to finalise their party's posture on the charter issue, he said.
The opposition Pheu Thai Party has decided to file a no-confidence motion and seek the impeachment of Abhisit and Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya, party spokesman Prompong Nopparit said after a party meeting.
Chalerm Yoobamrung, head of the group of opposition MPs in charge of gathering information for the censure debate, will chair a meeting again this morning to discuss a strategy to nail the other ministers, the spokesman said. The result would be taken up at the party's meeting next Tuesday.
Political observers had expected the censure debate to take place sometime before the court rules on February 26 in the asset seizure case against ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra.
However, chief opposition whip Withaya Buranasiri said the opposition would file the no-confidence motion in late February and the debate should take place in early March.
There was no connection between the scheduled court verdict and the censure motion, he said.
The red shirts are planning to stage a rally at the entrance of Suvarnabhumi Airport later this week, said Nattawut Saikua, a leader of the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship.
They would demand faster progress in the investigation of the airport seizures by the People's Alliance for the Democracy, or yellow shirts, back in November 2008, he said.
He called on the red shirts to keep the protest peaceful.
There would be no closure of the airport or blocking of any people or traffic. The red shirts would stand on both sides of the road, he said.
The red shirts were also planning to go to the homes of all privy councillors seeking their stance on Privy Councillor Surayud Chulanont's owning a resort home in the Khao Yai Thiang forest preserve. Then they may even go to the homes of some judges.
After they come back from a rally in Chanthaburi's Khao Soi Dao, they would file a report with the Royal Household Bureau to inform His Majesty the King of how his aides have been acting
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