On 4 May, Somsak Kosaisuk, leader of the New Politics Party, posted a statement on his Facebook page to rebut a recent press statement by a group of the party’s executive board members led by Secretary-General Suriyasai Katasila calling for a boycott of the upcoming election.

10 out of 19 executive board members of the New Politics Party, including Deputy Party Leader Samran Rodpet and Secretary-General Suriyasai Katasila, said in the statement released on 3 May that the party had resolved not to field candidates in the general election as voted by the majority of party members in the general assembly on 24 April.

Somsak said that this would violate Section 38 of the 2007 Political Party Act.  According to the law, the decision to field candidates is jointly made by a party’s executive board and selection committee.

He said that according to Section 4 of the law, political parties were established with the intent to field candidates in elections, and the decision whether to field candidates had to be made at meetings of party branches or party coordination centres on a case by case basis.

The statement of the 10 executive board members was a distortion of the intent of the law and the policy of the party which has followed proper procedures for over a year, he said.

Certain persons have conspired with certain executive board members to persecute and ruin the party and other executive board members who have honestly followed the law and party policy.  They want to dominate the party, but when their attempt fails, they want to destroy it.

Such actions violate the discipline and ethics of party members and branch committees, according to the rules of the party.  The offenders, therefore, have no right to make a statement in the name of the party, Somsak said.