Deny TRT a majority, cast empty ballots - activist
A leading democracy advocate called on the public to cast their ballot for no one at the upcoming election in an effort to forestall an overwhelming Thai Rak Thai majority.
Prinya Thaewanarumitkul, vice rector for student affairs at Thammasat University, said he was afraid Thai politics might degenerate into a "bandit parliament", with Thai Rak Thai securing all 500 seats in the lower House during an election boycotted by opposition parties. He said voters could "de-legitimise" the April 2 snap election by ticking the No Vote box on the ballot, thereby pre-empting a massive Thai Rak Thai victory. "A vote for no vote is an act of public disobedience against an illegitimate election. It will show that, for the people, candidates [contesting in the election] are unacceptable," Prinya said at a seminar on "Thailand: Post-Thaksin" or-ganised yesterday at Thammasat University. The scholar added that if voters overwhelmingly opted for the No Vote option, the new government - very likely another Thai Rak Thai government - would have a short life, enjoying legitimacy only so long as it took to amend the Constitution. Prinya, a student leader during the Black May uprising in 1992, urged students to launch a "Vote for No Vote" campaign with messages on stickers, flags, posters and badges. Senator Kraisak Choonhavan, another speaker at the seminar, said he was worried that members of the public might have become addicted to Thaksin's "quick-fix" political utilitarianism, ignoring the morality of government initiatives. "Many Thais appreciated the extrajudicial killings of some 3,000 people allegedly involved in the narcotic business, although the international community condemned [the campaign]," he explained. He urged Thai people to change their political attitude by giving priority to politicians demonstrating probity and integrity. He also lent his support to Prinya's "Vote for No Vote" campaign. Economist Krirkkiart Pipat-seritham said the new government should focus on sustainable economic growth and political stability. During the Thaksin era, 59 per cent of the national wealth had become concentrated in the hands of a rich few, he said. Pennapa Hongthong, Subhatra Bhumiprabhas The Nation
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