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Published on October 24, 2007

A surge of news reports about parties paying election candidates to adopt respective banners is a testament to an inherent weakness in the political system - many parties are not genuine mass movements but task forces designed to grab power.

It is unfortunate that politicians are banded together not by ideology and aspirations of their constituents but by odds of election victory and monetary gains.

Several parties play the role of bidders - some are said to be willing to pay Bt40 million per candidate, while electioneers are not coy in becoming political commodities up for grabs.

Every major party appears to be both predator and prey of paid allegiance and all are affected by the game of party hopping as candidates have no shame about flocking to the highest bidder.

In spite of its huge campaign war chest, the People Power Party has complained about its candidates defecting to other parties.

Other key parties, such as the Democrats, Chat Thai, Pracharaj, Matchima Thippatai and Ruam Jai Thai Chat Pattana, see candidates circulating among them. Astoundingly, they choose to either cry foul or keep silent whenever it suits their respective interests.

Rival parties opt to pass the blame to one another for condoning oscillated party loyalty, rather than working together to end the buying of candidates.

Whenever parting ways with its candidates, the People Power Party would blame the junta for subsidising certain parties to undermine it.

If the opposite happens, it would keep quiet on how it managed to induce the defection of newcomers from other parties.

The same can be said about its competitors, particularly those splinter groups of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai Party.

In recent weeks, the Pua Paendin Party has experienced a sudden increase in candidates.

Because of overlapping strongholds and similar vote-canvassing tactics, the growth of Pua Paendin will adversely impact People Power, Matchima, Pracharaj and Ruam Jai Thai.

In its reaction, People Power took the junta to task for trying to undermine its campaigning.

Over the weekend, Pracharaj, Matchima and Ruam Jai Thai came up with a dramatic move about a possible merger of the three parties before the plot unravelled in less than a day.

Although no one took the merger seriously, the three parties managed to gain huge publicity with which their leaders hope to bolster the public's confidence in their parties as viable political forces.

Matchima leader Prachai Leopairatana has boasted about securing a coalition slot, even though it remains uncertain how many top candidates will run under his party's banner.

Pracharaj leader Snoh Thienthong has trumpeted his pre-election deal with the Democrats to form the coalition alliance, although he admits concern about his party's dwindling pool of candidates.

Democratic rule can sustain and thrive if voters have true choices in terms of policies or candidates.

Unfortunately, the way the party vanguards are hogging the electoral process for self-serving interests will further alienate the people from politics.

Unless parties decide to recruit more young bloods, the December 23 election is about to turn into a game of musical chairs among all the old faces.

 Avudh Panananda

 The Nation