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Sixteen Senators were last week disqualified by the Election Commission for holding shares in media businesses or stocks in firms granted state concessions of a monopolistic nature. There is little doubt that they had breached the charter in a crucial aspect - the conflict of interest.

Now, the Lower House is facing a similar - perhaps an even more ominous - situation. Sixty-six MPs are being investigated by the EC for the same violation. And to make things even more volatile, the MPs suspected of having made that serious blunder are none other than the two holding powerful positions that could make or break the Abhisit government: Deputy Premier Suthep Thaugsuban and Parliament Speaker Chai Chidchob, no less.

Once the election watchdog completes its investigation into this allegation against the Senators and MPs, the "hot potato" will be passed on to the Constitution Court which would have to have the final say on the matter.

If the worst-case scenario should come to pass - with the court deciding in favour of the EC's interpretation of the law - Abhisit's much-dreaded "political accident" will inevitably materialise.

Quite a few politicians will blame the EC for being too "pedantic" about what the charter says, but a crucial question would have to be raised: Weren't the Senators and MPs aware of the clauses on "conflict of interest" all along? Aren't they supposed to set the example of "good governance" for the rest of the country?

Of course, they can't claim innocence. Neither can any Member of Parliament challenge the strict interpretation of the provisions in this connection. The only explanation is that they probably thought they could get away with flaunting the law.

Now, if lawmakers believe that they can ignore the laws they had vowed to legislate for the good of the people and country, what hope could we have in those elected to Parliament who try every possible way to circumvent the legislation?

My take is simple and clear: Let the law follow its course despite the fear of a new round of political instability in the country. If a series of by-elections have to be held to replace those disqualified by the court, let that exercise be an expensive lesson for all concerned. And if that gets too cumbersome and messy, let the prime minister speed up the process of constitutional amendments, and then dissolve Parliament to call a new election.

It would be a mockery of democracy for MPs deliberately breaking the law to continue serving in their positions while we talk about political reform and promoting democracy.

If we are really serious about getting rid of conflicts of interests among the powerful and influential in this country, let's not get trapped by the fear of political instability. A corrupt and irresponsible legislation, no matter how stable and steady it appears to be, can never win the trust of the people.

Once the public's faith in the quality of our elected officials is removed, the whole institution of democratic rule would just tumble like a house of cards. Without a major clean-up, the cracks in our wall of political structure will only deepen. Unfortunately, that is what appears to be emerging on the political horizon now.