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Published on November 25, 2007

Alas, thieves can no longer claim exclusivity in this regard. Others have shown themselves to be as disreputable - political candidates vying for seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The winners become lawmakers and address one another as "my honourable friend" during House sessions. History shows that a lot of them have been involved in various dishonourable acts and proven themselves to be liars, congenital or otherwise.

Some politicians, who have good consciences, are patriotic and intend to work for the country, but find it difficult to avoid a necessary evil in the form of alliances with those who have unsavoury images and a despicable track record. A compromise often has to be struck - a deal with the devil, so to speak.

Our political arena is full of players who don't care about the people who vote for them. They lie with straight faces. It is quite reasonable to say that there is no honour among politicians as well.

Double-crossing, back-stabbing, shifts in alliances, betrayal, treachery involving the motherland and wholesale corruption are common practices in politics. What has taken place in recent weeks has provided the best proof of political lies.

It's common for many politicians to sell lies and buy votes through various clandestine and guileful schemes involving elaborate networks of canvassers. They regard campaign funding as a political investment to be recouped once they manage to attain full ruling power.

Political parties comprise people of mixed character and background. They are together for the sole mission of laying their hands on the national assets in order to enrich themselves. It is not an exaggeration to say that some parties resemble dens of thieves.

They are self-serving, of course.

Prior to candidate registration just weeks ago, MP hopefuls commanded handsome prices when bargaining with well-funded political investors. These sellers of temporary loyalty demanded Bt30 million to Bt40 million.

This election season saw candidates hopping from one party in the morning to another by lunch hour and another by evening. The last things on their minds were political ideologies and policy platforms.

It is said that one political newcomer with a huge war chest parted with Bt1 billion of his funds just to prove that he was indeed a mobile ATM with unlimited resources.

Big-money politics is probably here to stay forever unless people are educated enough to learn right from wrong, and that accepting just a few hundred baht in exchange for a vote is the same as handing a blank cheque to a thief.

As the election draws near, we can see party leaders plotting their way to become part of a ruling coalition, which will be the result if no single party wins the majority of the votes. Allies have tried to step back from the flimsy commitments they have made in order to seek out newer, more promising partnerships.

Nobody has been more obvious in this regard than Banharn Silapa-archa, leader of the Chart Thai Party, who announced during a rally in the Northeast on Friday that he was no longer allied with the Democrat Party. It was a sharp turn from a few weeks ago when he reaffirmed the strong ties between the two parties.

For over a decade, the Chart Thai Party has had an unpalatable public image.

The party is unflatteringly regarded as "slippery when wet", and the media likens the party and its leadership to eels. Banharn himself is regarded as a "dragon" for his crafty political style and scheming.

He must have realised that the People Power Party, a party that admits it is acting on behalf of Thaksin Shinawatra, stands to win the largest number of seats, if not a majority.

By sticking to the Democrat Party, Banharn sensed that he would be left out in the cold and suffer from the subsequent deprivations. Survival must come first - never mind a person's honour or the promises he has made to friends.

His legendary statement in this regard was that being in the opposition meant starvation. He told northeasterners at last week's rally that he was a very close friend of Thaksin and that the politician-in-exile would not have ended up facing his current plight if he had taken the Chart Thai Party on as a coalition partner while Thai Rak Thai ruled the country.

It was vintage Banharn that day, a political wheeler-dealer who is willing to shake any hand that can open the door to serve his vested interests.

The People Power Party was supposed to be cast out as a pariah and serve as the opposition. Not now it seems, as Banharn presents himself clearly as a strong candidate for the coalition of the willing on the side of the People Power Party. This is his last chance to be on the bandwagon to new opportunities.

As to the reason and motive for the latest slippery move, let's guess. In his mind, Banharn must have concluded that honour in politics is a bothersome barrier to serving one's vested interests.

Sopon Onkgara