Statement from Centre for Democratization Studies

Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration

Chiang Mai University

7 January 2008

After studies of the campaign methods and election behaviour from the general election of 23 December 2007 to the start of 2008, the Centre has the following interesting points which the Thai society should take into account.

•1. There are questions that arise when there is a campaign calling for good and decent people to be elected. The question is how to find out who is decent or not, since it would take some time to understand the personality of each candidate by working with him/her. Therefore, this kind of campaign creates more problems in choosing the candidate. Therefore, in examining the candidate or the political party, we should look at the policy, capacity, political perspective, and the accomplishment of both the candidate and the party in the past, and whether they had done anything good for the people, the community, and the country or not. In the same way, we should see if he/she had done anything wrong which was harmful to society.

•2. The campaign against vote-buying gave as a reason the fact that politicians who pay people to vote for them will spend a lot of money. Once he/she gets elected, the he/she will try to recoup this money through corruption, robbing the country and the people. This, however, is an incomplete explanation. The campaign should try to make people understand that the right to cast a ballot is not a commodity for sale. It is not about asking for or paying money. Giving and receiving money will create more corruption in the future.

Those that are involved in corruption are in all sectors. Bureaucrats are corrupted although they do not have to pay to sit in that particular position. Many do not intend to be involved in corruption in the first place, but do so when they become powerful, become responsible for different projects, think that no one will find out, or have partners involved. Some become involved in corruption when they see a large amount of money, thinking that they can hide their wrongdoings.

Similarly, many politicians did not pay people to vote for them but when they are elected, they are involved in corruption when they have the chance or are in a particular atmosphere as mentioned. The way to eliminate this is to build a mechanism to oversee politicians and all employees in all sectors and jobs. Transparency and due process need to be put in place so that misconduct will be limited. If there is misconduct, swift and serious punishment must be taken so that it can be used as a precedent. A continuous campaign of education and moral training is one possible course of action, but not the only one.

From the survey, vote buying and selling exists in every district and is conducted by all political parties. It is done either by the candidate him/herself or with the assistance of others. If the race in that constituency is very critical, there is more probability that vote-buying will occur. Certain government departments and divisions, even Buddhist monks give orders on the particular parties and members that the people should vote for. We found interesting information that information about this is not being revealed immediately but in the third or fourth week after the election, for the personal safety of the informants, some of whom think that since the election is over, they can reveal more about the processes.

There are stories of government administrators in some departments openly ordering their subordinates to vote for certain parties and candidates. There were also open criticisms of certain parties in front of hundreds of their subordinates. However, there are no reports of such violations. How will this be interpreted if actions like this are left unpunished, but in other case, the accused are tried and convicted with clear evidence? This is the problem of political injustice which needs to be dealt with.

There are also cases when the election commissioners went to the field to investigate election violation cases and to receive complaints. The point is there are many examples of bad behaviour were left unreported, or unheard due to the limited numbers of commissioners in each province. One province covers a wide area and a large number of voters. There is the possibility of decisions that are not made in an impartial manner, and of conspiracy.

Therefore, the decision to issue yellow and red cards in a situation where the country is divided, and at the same time to call for reconciliation can easily create a situation that supports one side and harms another. In the current situation, the decision to issue yellow and red card will only create more conflict within the society and emphasize divisions and cronyism. Political uncertainty will continue without an end. To say that decisions by a small number of commissioners must be respected will lead toward more violence since elected candidates that are dismissed and are supported by the people will not have any other alternative, especially those that receive red cards.

The Centre for Democratization Studies therefore that the Election Commission of Thailand cease issuing yellow and red cards immediately and respect the results of the people's vote in those provinces. The Centre for Democratization Studies also stresses its concern at the demand of a group of academics for an investigation that would lead to the dissolution of a nominee party. The Centre believes that when there is division within society, there should not be any instigation to create more divisions by calling this or that party a nominee. All parties, more or less, have the status of nominees of different organizations, institutions, or ideologies. If the issue of party dissolution is being revived, social division will continue and increase. The options for those who are punished will be slimmer, which could lead to an atmosphere of confrontation. There will be more political violence and no peace in society.

Accepting the results of the election and dismissing the issue of party dissolution does not mean making wrong right. However, it means accepting the majority of votes cast and accepting that there are improper actions. However, we cannot punish particular groups since it would create injustice. We are accepting this in order to reduce the current political divisions and to build political solidarity and stability, until society can find a way to examine the election misconduct in a way that is accepted by all sides. This is so that the political confrontation will end and in the future all sides will better learn to respect democratic rules and principles.