National lunacy

http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2011/07/08/national-lunacy/

National lunacy

July 8th, 2011 by Andrew Walker · 40 Comments

One can only hope that these reports are false. Surely no-one could be so determined to bring on political violence.

From The Nation:

The Election Commission has launched the investigation into a complaint that in a campaign demonstration in Nakhon Ratchasima, Yingluck cooked and handed out a local noodle dish, known as Mee Korat. Under the campaign rules, the hand-out of food or material gift is classified as vote-buying.

And this from AFP

Thailand's outgoing ruling party has launched legal action seeking to ban the allies of former premier Thaksin Shinawatra from politics following their election victory. The move is sure to anger Thaksin's "Red Shirt" supporters, who were behind two months of mass protests in Bangkok last year that turned deadly.

But the legal process is expected to take several months at least to be completed and is not expected to prevent Thaksin's youngest sister Yingluck Shinawatra from becoming Thailand's first female prime minister.

The Democrat Party asked the Election Commission to pursue the abolition of the rival Puea Thai Party, the winner of Sunday's election, on the grounds that banned politicians were involved in its campaign.  "We asked EC to recommend to the Constitutional Court to dissolve Puea Thai," Wiratana Kalayasiri, head of the Democrats' legal team, told AFP.

"The accusation is that Puea Thai allowed people subject to five-year political bans to become involved in policy planning, phone-ins and video addresses and also the selection of candidates," he said.

Tags: Election Watch · Thailand

40 RESPONSES SO FAR ↓

• 1Ralph Kramden // Jul 8, 2011 at 6:46 pm

  I don't want to be rude Andrew, but did you really expect anything else? It might be lunacy to you, but the Democrat Party knows that if it can't win elections, it might win the skewed political battle of military/judicial putsch. It is their way to power.

  Highly rated. Quality comment or not?  51  2

• 2Andrew Walker // Jul 8, 2011 at 6:51 pm

  Yes, Ralph, I did. I still have some of the idealism of youth!

  Quality comment or not?  16  1

• 3leeyiankun // Jul 8, 2011 at 6:56 pm

  That's normal 'Democrat' politiks at work. Nothing new. This is the party that shouted 'Pridi kill the king' in theaters. Used blank sheet of paper to discredit Banharn. I won't expect any less from them.

  Quality comment or not?  30  1

• 4Emil // Jul 8, 2011 at 7:00 pm

  The cynic in me thought something like this might occur on Monday. When it didn't, the optomist inside thought the Democrats might have learned a lesson.

  Surely their best chance of holding government for more than one term is to allow PT to govern and hope they govern poorly, no?

  Quality comment or not?  13  1

• 5Sceptic // Jul 8, 2011 at 7:53 pm

  I can imagine a few hotheads in the ranks advocating such moves as a result of hubris and pure spite, but it strikes me as incredible that, particularly in the light of the overwhelming vote that has just happened, some of the saner people (Whither Chuan? Whither Korn? Whither Abhisit himself?) would not have stamped on such crass behaviour. After all, this is the party that carries the banner of "democracy" in its title. Is there nobody there who has any grasp at all of principle that they are not prepared to subject to some grubby nit-picking exercise for the sake of supposed political advantage? Have they thought for a minute what this does for the image of the country they claim to love, let alone the party itself?

  We were told to admire Abhisit's "grace" in acnowledging defeat. It does not seem to count for much! Of course it could be that since he has resigned the party leadership and the rest of the executive has gone with him, that the party is now effectively rudderless and no one is in a position to take charge – hence plenty of scope for the idiots.

  Quality comment or not?  28  1

• 6tom hoy // Jul 8, 2011 at 8:10 pm

  There'll be no winners if either of these pieces of lunacy get anywhere.

  Quality comment or not?  16  1

• 7LesAbbey // Jul 8, 2011 at 8:53 pm

  In Thailand there is an attempt at having the 'rule of law'. One of the downsides of this is we have, like America, far too many lawyers involved in politics. This will just be the first of many complaints the various political parties will throw at each other. There are bound to be some PT inspired ones against the rump of the Bhun Jai, who are probably some of the most corrupt people around.

  Andrew already has Thida leading the mob to burn the Bastille. In reality, even just looking at worse case scenarios, we still end up with a pro-Thaksin majority in parliament. For me it's good to see politicians being reminded that they have to operate inside the law. (Mind you I suspect the Chonburi members of the new coalition maybe have solutions to political problems outside the law.)

  Quality comment or not?  5  22

• 8Mr Damage // Jul 8, 2011 at 9:02 pm

  The Democrats through countless years of experience at losing elections and the popular vote have become the masters of government through the sleazy backdoor.

  Not to suggest that Pheua Thai is honest of course, but they did actually win the election…yet again. Hard to see how Abbhisit thinks usurping government again will give him any credibility or will bring any stability to the country.

  Quality comment or not?  29  1

• 9SteveCM // Jul 8, 2011 at 10:25 pm

  Looks like maybe the Dems are trying to "walk back" this dumb move – Korbsak and Buranaj are both pointing out that it's coming from just one Dem MP – albeit he's "head of the legal team".

  On the other hand, it only takes one to make the complaint. And it's really difficult to imagine Abhisit taking very long declining the opportunity to grab power…. "Oh, no really I couldn't – but well, if you insist. Rule of Law and all that, ho-ho-ho….."

  Quality comment or not?  17  1

• 10Nganadeeleg // Jul 8, 2011 at 10:42 pm

  Yet more evidence of why the Democrat Party is continually rejected by the electorate.

  Quality comment or not?  27  1

• 11banphai // Jul 8, 2011 at 10:51 pm

  The Bangkok Post quotes a member of the Democrat legal team, Wirat Kallayasiri, as saying, "Article 97 of the constitution clearly states that executives from any disbanded party are prohibited from being involved with any other party during the suspension period" (see:http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/election/246108/democrats-seek-p-thai-dissolution).

  I'm confused. The reference to Article 97 of the Constitution seems odd. According to the widely promulgated translation, which I have on file (http://www.asianlii.org/th/legis/const/2007/1.html), Section 97, simply says:
  "The preparation of the lists of candidates prepared by a political party for the election of the members of the House of Representatives on a proportional basis shall be as follows:
  (1) the lists of candidates for each constituency shall consist of candidates in equal number of members of the House of Representatives to be elected on a proportional basis in each constituency and placed in numerical order and shall be submitted to the Election Commission before the date an application for candidacy in an election on the constituency basis commences;(2) candidates under (1) shall not be candidates in an election both on the constituency basis and on proportional basis of any political party and, in preparing the list of candidates, regard shall be had to opportunity and approximate proportion between women and men."

  As some idiot, relatively recent expat, am I missing something here?

  Whatever, the newly elected government does have window of opportunity, if it dares to use it. Remember what happened after the 2006 coup? The junta quickly introduced an Interim Constitution, which gave immunity (Article 37) to the coup leaders for their act of treason. I can hardly wait to hear the reactions of those members and supporters of the Democrat Party who were closely associated with the coup (Prayuth, Prawit etc etc) if the new Government under Yingluck decides to let themselves off the hook by fiddling with the later permanent Charter, which was rail-roaded into existence by the junta following a highly mischievous referendum process.

  Quality comment or not?  9  0

• 12john francis lee // Jul 8, 2011 at 11:12 pm

  The Democrat Party is the party of losers. They need to disband themselves. Phuea Thai needs to disband the Royal Thai Army's so-called Election Commission. It is really the Civilian Government Dissolution Commission.

  If they try to make this stick there surely will be a civil war in Thailand. How else will the Thai people ever gain control of their government with the corrupt Royal Thai Army, its 'Election Commission', the Kourts, and the Amaat all in league against them?

  The losers in the Democrat Party need just to give it up, need to learn to lose.

  Highly rated. Quality comment or not?  37  2

• 13Steve of Chiang Mai (Not SteveCM) // Jul 8, 2011 at 11:36 pm

  If there is a problem here surely the Democrats arranging a coa;ition with Newin Chitchob must be guilty of similar offenses…remember the hugs, the roses and the tears…they should be banned for the tacky front page photo alone

  Quality comment or not?  20  1

• 14SteveCM // Jul 9, 2011 at 12:26 am

  c12

  Appreciate you making the distinction – thanks (though, as it happens, I agree 100%).

  One really has to wonder just who the [cough] "graciously conceding leader" was actually speaking for on Sunday night. Presumably just the ones who agreed with him – and not for anyone who disagreed or felt like changing their mind? Where is he hiding this time?

  If this does proceed to PT dissolution and him U-turning back into the PM's office, just what growing and ruinous chaos will he be presiding over? And how long before that chaos triggers a coup or – maybe more likely – Article 7 action?

  Quality comment or not?  7  1

• 15john francis lee // Jul 9, 2011 at 12:50 am

  The accusation is that Puea Thai allowed people subject to five-year political bans to become involved in policy planning, phone-ins and video addresses and also the selection of candidates," he said.

  So used are they to their double standard that they simply pretend not to see that they are charging the Phuea Thai with their own and Baarnharn's and Newins' MO of the past three years.

  My guess is they feel secure in the international acceptance of this foolish and farcical move, and that they can totally discount the Thai people.

  If Thailand had any oil the US/NATO cruise missiles would be soaring into Bangkok on this one. But they seem to feel they are on the right side of the Fourth Reich.

  Joe Gordon rots in jail, totally unremarked by the US Embassy to Thailand. They do seem to have the Reich's support.

  Quality comment or not?  15  3

• 16U. Chemp // Jul 9, 2011 at 1:43 am

  I could cite the name of a village (but won't do it for evident reasons) where the Head of the village received from the Yellows 500 bath per voter, and distributed 300 to each, keeping the remaining 200 for himself. He was supposed to enforce a Yellow vote. Condition on this handout of money: either to reimburse all if the Yellow votes lose against the red's or get a bullet in the head if he fails to reimburse. And of course the village voted Red by a large majority (without any cash from the Reds, as they were sure to win, and nobody reimbursed the Head of the village so far….
  As for the Majority in the Parliament, don't worry, the Yellows will buy up enough "weak hands" (Bath 50 mio per head is the standard price, or else accidents may happen to their family) to gain back enough votes to put an old or new puppet as PM. That's how Bumipol's Absolute Royal Democracy worked in the past and is supposed to continue to work with the active help of the Army-thugs (many of them with fortunes way above "honest"American investment bankers) and the local mafia.

  Quality comment or not?  7  0

• 17Vichai N // Jul 9, 2011 at 1:49 am

  Here we go again . . . .

  Should politicians running for office be excused from election laws? Otherwise why have a constitution in the first place?

  Thaksin's antics of 'honest mistakes' to win elections continue . . . and he tempts the patience of the Thai Supreme Courts with his serial honest mistakes.

  Quality comment or not?  3  34

• 18Blind Freddie // Jul 9, 2011 at 2:00 am

  Hard to see what else Abhisit is going to do really, he's had his orders and he will follow them, if only to avoid criminal charges. Her indoors and her cup-bearer are pulling the strings now that himself is safely on the sidelines – they have been for some time despite the prodigal son, who by now must fear he will be leap-frogged come the day. The stakes are high, and she still wishes to be the warrior. A most suitable case for treatment.

  Tears before bedtime looking more and more inevitable, because if this nonsense proceeds, its difficult to see the alternatives to some very nasty and very widespread conflict. An abandoning of all democratic pretence perhaps is possible, after all, they've lost every round and they must know they're in the wrong game by now, They got their asses kicked again – same as the last time, and it must have stimulated at least a little extra blood-flow to the brain surely?

  Possibly why Prayuth has been so quiet of late – been told to keep his mouth shut I expect, if a coup is in the offing, radio silence from him would make sense..

  Things are about to start getting interesting I suspect, and the plotters will likely get some bitter medicine to quaff. A last hurrah? Perhaps himself will come riding in on a white charger again but I suspect he's been permanently neutralised.

  Dull it isn't over there.

  Quality comment or not?  12  0

• 19Alex // Jul 9, 2011 at 2:15 am

  Yes, civil war for sure if the EC does listen to Democrat's complaint and take action against Pheu Thai. Thailand will become another Libya but people will prevail over ammat in the end. Besides, it's still fresh in people's memory how Samak was ousted in 2008 and this time will never allow that to happen again.

  Quality comment or not?  17  1

• 20Tarrin // Jul 9, 2011 at 3:16 am

  Samak was disqualify for "cooking in from of TV" so what do you expect?

  LesAbbey – 7

  For me it's good to see politicians being reminded that they have to operate inside the law.

  Abhisit also cooked crispy noodle so I hope what you mean is "every politician" and not just the one that you hate that have to operate under the law.

  Quality comment or not?  22  0

• 21unrepentant_expat // Jul 9, 2011 at 3:46 am

  You'd think that after Prime Minister Samak Samaravej's episode after his cooking show, Thai politicians would heed President Truman's advice: If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.

  Quality comment or not?  6  1

• 22Stephen // Jul 9, 2011 at 5:55 am

  Here's a link to a Bangkok Post story with more detail on Yingluck stopping at a noodle vendor and helping to stir some Pad Thai, an act that is now being "thoroughly and transparently investigated, according to the Rule of Law and International Norms" to determine whether or not Thailand's 1st female Prime Minister should be dis-qualified from holding office. Unfortunately, this is not a story from NotTheNation….

  http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/politics/246166/ec-probes-poll-noodle-frying

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• 23Nick Nostitz // Jul 9, 2011 at 6:36 am

  If Thai elections laws would be valid in Germany the every single party would have been dissolved for vote buying. An election campaign there would be unthinkable without parties giving out free pens and other trinkets with their party logo.

  Quality comment or not?  21  0

• 24Frank G Anderson // Jul 9, 2011 at 9:49 am

  I was thinking of an environment more like the Philippines.
  This Korat noodle fiasco can surely explode, literally. Yet listening to Abhisit a few times after his party's electoral mandate not to bother trying to run the government again, I heard distinct personal undertones of "We" – and who might that be? – "don't want any moves to have Thaksin pardoned or Red Shirts in cabinet posts."
  All around Thailand, we need to admit, are those who say, "We will sacrifice our lives…" when in fact they mean they will sacrifice yours and mine or someone else's lives for what they believe in.
  In observing the situation here in Thailand closely, I think that it's a foregone conclusion that Clash is Coming. Not one nation on the face of the earth has been able to get rid of power-mad egotists without shedding blood. The construction of such inevitability is one of the ugly faces of culture where inculcated beliefs and practices run rampant over civil and human rights.
  Such a nice-looking country, such a horrible prospect of violence. It seems the two sides are both well-aware of the other's entrenched position and in denial of its own. As well, each in some way but I believe the traditionalists per se refuse to recognize the wrongness of their ways and Devil be Damned they want to restore their order in the face of righteous resistance.

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• 25Vichai N // Jul 9, 2011 at 10:31 am

  It's not about the "cooking" that could roast Yingluck and the Peau Thai Party guys . . . but NM would like to pretend so. The serious election laws violations pertain to 5-year ban against the 111 TRT executives from politics-and-elections. And many of those banned TRT executives flaunted the ban openly campaigning for Yingluck and PTP (caught on many video clips btw). Fugitive Thaksin was the most prominent flaunting the election laws and the Peau Thai Party (don't they have constitutional lawyers giving them advice . . . very silly of them).

  Honest mistake(s) again?

  Quality comment or not?  3  31

• 26Angelo Michel // Jul 9, 2011 at 10:47 am

  "Should politicians running for office be excused from election laws?"
  It seems that many people confuse "democracy" with "dictatorship" !

  The fact that a given Party gets elected does not free anyone from following the law !

  And the Majority is even not allowed to murder their opponents …
  (strange, eh ?)

  There is a role for the Opposition in a democracy, and in this case it is to track each and every scam the Thaksinists will do and expose them for the people to see.

  As a beginning, I propose that the "Thaksin money" should be given back via a voluntary fund (only T. "fans" would undoubtedly pay !)

  Quality comment or not?  0  20

• 27LesAbbey // Jul 9, 2011 at 11:03 am

  Tarrin – 19

  Abhisit also cooked crispy noodle so I hope what you mean is "every politician" and not just the one that you hate that have to operate under the law.

  Very much every one of them Tarrin. Until the day comes when politicians do fear the law there will be no end to the present level of political corruption.

  Funny enough I just read in the Post that the complaint about Yingluck's cooking was made to the EC by Korat voter. Now what do you think the EC should do? Should they look into a complaint by a member of the public, or just ignore it? Of course it probably has no basis and will be forgotten in a week, but by the comments on NM you would think the sky is falling.

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• 28ritikrai // Jul 9, 2011 at 11:08 am

  Sceptic # 5

  …………….Of course it could be that since he has resigned the party leadership and the rest of the executive has gone with him, that the party is now effectively rudderless and no one is in a position to take charge – hence plenty of scope for the idiots.

  .
  Mind you, you're at risk of LM charge writing the above. Consider getting a new passport before the next trip to Thailand.

  Quality comment or not?  3  1

• 29john francis lee // Jul 9, 2011 at 11:55 am

  The 'law'… the 'law'… when what you're talking about is what the Royal Thai Army put in place to replace the law when they tore up the constitution and, on the very next day, appointed the so-called Election Commission… in reality the Popularly Elected Government Dissolution Commission.

  https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdjaLT_XkJB-b2ea3fyN8_IAUo0uXo-ozlo5j0G3N2Fxfr9kyYLeaqQ5ESvnZRbiRLr0rckZlm7nn0JoEUKgI17CBaMzhBKHGlvs5tbkP9rYoUo7enJfPUZX610d0Vf_wW_DYvUMjBaZg/s400/774_BB.jpg

  Very heartening!

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• 30Patsan // Jul 9, 2011 at 12:29 pm

  Talking about the Rule of Law, the PTP had the Red Shirts to distract other while running for the vote? And just said that there's nothing to do with the party? And again the Red shirt big name guys also appeared in the list of proposed carbinet member. To be honest, any differnce in a flip flop word? Poor Thailand!

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• 31Nobody // Jul 9, 2011 at 1:18 pm

  The country needs a vaiable alternative to the current government for democracy to work. All this rejection of democracy, cooking show bans and ultimately complete undermining of the whole justice system ultimately does is increase PTP popularity and harden their support. While in the short term fight for democracy this may be good, in the medium term it is never good to not have an alternative. The sooner the losers (parliamentary and non-parliamentary) realise this the sooner things move back on track and the time until the eventual rejection of the current government, albeit maybe a long time, comes closer. Everything those who despise Thaksin etc do just makes it worse for them and him more popular. It is almost insane.

  Having said that no doubt there are also elements of power vacuum politics within the democrats as part of this with the uber-yellows making this play as new executive time draws nigh and maybe some more pragmatic elements dont exactly agree. But do the demos want to become an increasingly yellow party, which would further undercut their appeal with non-yellows or do they want to reinvent as a future viable option? A big test for them. If one of their big hitters came out to denounce this, and really denounce the move rather than the "it is an individual" nonsense, then we could maybe have more hope for the future.

  Living in Thailand and listening to people across the political and a-poltical spectrum and across class, one thing is very clear, there is an increasing feeling of time to move on and meddling in the election again will create problems well beyond just the red movement this time.

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• 32Bart // Jul 9, 2011 at 1:19 pm

  To Vichai, LesAbbey, StanG and all the other born again "Rule of Law" apologists for the Thai "Democrat" Party, where were they when the "banned politicians" Newin and Barnham were so busy, so active, so involved, so "un-banned" in the sordid arrangements thru which Abhisit and the "Democrats" came into power?

  (I still remember that classic and charming photo of Abhisit and Newin giving each other same Man Love when the deal was announced…)

  And where were they when the "Democrat" Party and all its sarmy executives "escaped" being banned in the 258 million baht TPI illegal donation case which was ever so conveniently dropped due to a "procedural error" by the investigators/prosecutors.

  It's all so tedious and so "Double Standard" and in the end so boring……

  Quality comment or not?  28  0

• 33Andrew Walker // Jul 9, 2011 at 1:47 pm

  U. Chemp (16) writes:

  I could cite the name of a village (but won't do it for evident reasons) where the Head of the village received from the Yellows 500 bath per voter, and distributed 300 to each, keeping the remaining 200 for himself. He was supposed to enforce a Yellow vote. Condition on this handout of money: either to reimburse all if the Yellow votes lose against the red's or get a bullet in the head if he fails to reimburse. And of course the village voted Red by a large majority (without any cash from the Reds, as they were sure to win, and nobody reimbursed the Head of the village so far….

  I find this very implausible.

  1. Why would a headman in a clearly "red" area risk his support, reputation and, according to your account, even his life to try to persuade people to vote "yellow" (especially when it was clear that the "reds" would win)?

  1a. Why would the "yellows" waste their money in an area of such strong "red" support?

  2. Given the inevitable factionalism in village politics (and the fact that he was going against the clear majority view) why would no-one report him?

  3. Would anyone imagine that money distributed would be reimbursed, especially to a headman who is so clearly out of touch with his village's electoral opinion?

  4. Why would anyone think that people would change their vote for only 300 baht?

  5. How many headmen have been murdered post-election? If this sort of thing is common, as some suggest, there must be many disappointed candidates out there. Can we expect a spate of retribution killings?

  I understand that you cannot name the village, but perhaps you could provide the province and a bit more context to fill the story out a bit.

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