• 
• 

Published on August 3, 2007

The attempt by former members of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party to compete in the upcoming general election under the People Power Party banner came as little surprise. Few eyebrows were raised when it was revealed that Samak Sundaravej, the former leader of the Prachakorn Thai Party, had been approached to take over the leadership of the People Power Party, which has become a formidable political force seemingly overnight.

Both Thaksin and those loyal to him denied that the former prime minister was in anyway involved in what looks suspiciously like an attempt to resurrect the Thai Rak Thai Party, which was disbanded by the Constitution Tribunal in May of this year after the party's top executives were found guilty of poll fraud in 2006. The choice of Samak to take the helm of the People Power Party was also not illogical given his friendly relationship with Thaksin.

Be that as it may, with the exception of the 111 who were banned, there is no law preventing former Thai Rak Thai members from running as members of a legally registered party in the next general election, set for around year's end. The People Power Party should therefore be given the benefit of the doubt and be allowed to compete just like all other parties.

As long as the People Power Party carries out its activities within legal boundaries, there is no reason why it should be subjected to discriminatory treatment by either government authorities or the Election Commission. The party should also not be shunned by the public just because many of its members had associated themselves with Thaksin and his populist policies or continue to be on good terms with the former prime minister, if not also remain faithful to his ideology.

The People Power Party can choose to campaign using the same policy platform as the Thai Rak Thai Party if they think that would give them an advantage. The new party might well form the first post-coup civilian government if it manages to sway the majority of voters.

If the People Power Party, or any other party for that matter, wins the election, the voice of the people must be respected. The winning party should be given the chance to form a government on its own or in partnership with other parties in a coalition and run the country with the popular mandate.

This is a big "if", and the future of Thailand as a democratic society depends on it. And that is why the monitoring role of the Election Commission, members of civil society groups, and lovers of democracy in general is of the utmost importance. Of particular importance is the strict monitoring of political parties' campaign finances.

It cannot be emphasised enough that the 2001 and 2005 elections in which Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party won landslide victories was marred by large-scale vote-buying and other instances of electoral fraud. People must also be reminded that the rise of the Thai Rak Thai Party was predated by almost exactly the same process that is now taking place with the People Power Party.

Back then, Thaksin, a telecom tycoon-turned-politician, built up the Thai Rak Thai Party from the relatively small Palang Dharma Party that he had taken over earlier and, through a series of mergers and acquisitions of other political parties, he brought about the party's meteoric rise which led to his first landslide victory in 2001. Such a phenomenon was unprecedented in Thai politics, and was seen as something of a miracle at the time.

But with the benefit of hindsight, Thaksin's rise can be explained in more mundane terms.

The likes of the Thai Rak Thai Party are little more than vehicles for the rich and powerful to launch their political careers. Thai Rak Thai was started by Thaksin who bought the loyalty of many incumbent members of the House of Representatives with his fabulous wealth so as to ensure the party's chances of winning a substantial number of seats in Parliament, which would serve as a springboard to political power.

It would be an insult to the intelligence of Thai people if Samak, either on his own behalf or on that of Thaksin, attempted to manipulate them in the same way Thaksin had done several years back, and expected the people to take the bait once again.