Public Participation in Constitution Making for the Democratic Transition in Thailand

Tanaroj Lortanapaisan

Abstract

This research aims to study the patterns and levels of Thai public participation in the drafting of the three most recent constitutions of Thailand through qualitative research and by collecting data from secondary documents. The research then employs the International Association of Participation’s five-level criteria to analyze and compare patterns and levels of public participation. Research has found that the constitution-making process in Thailand is in a transition period from representative democracy to participatory democracy, and people must participate in the constitution-making process to express their will under self-government. In the constitution-making of the state Constitution 1997, the Constitution 2007 and the 2017 Constitution of Thailand, public participation in drafting the constitution was low. Only the 1997 Constitution was initiated by the political elite with the support of the civil society sector. The 2007 and 2017 constitutions were clearly influenced by the coup d’état. The communication process in drafting the constitution, although all three processes of drafting the constitution used two-way communication, did not bring the results of public communication to the drafting of the constitution. The public’s participation in the content of the constitution was limited by the organization that drafted the constitution, which was under the control of military and political elites. The referendum, which was the final decision-making power of the public, indicated the highest level of participation in drafting the constitution but was an incomplete referendum. The study concluded that participation in drafting all constitutions was a form of limited participation, while the public’s participation in drafting the 2007 and 2017 constitutions was only symbolic. Despite attempts to improve the form and level of public participation in drafting the Constitution, Thailand’s constitution-making process still faced problems related to constitutional legitimacy.

 

Keywords: Constitution-making, Public participation, Thailand

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.55463/hkjss.issn.1021-3619.63.42


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References


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