Analysis: The thorny path to the election
The path to the election is riddled with obstacles Bangkok Post in an analysis today. Not only did the protest movement succeed in disrupting the registration of candidates yesterday, but the elections themselves can also be sabotaged in many ways.
Yesterday was the first day on which candidates could register for the national electoral list in the Thai-Japan stadium. Only nine of the 34 parties taking part in the elections managed to get in, but they had arrived in the middle of the night. On the advice of the Electoral Council, the others went to the Ding Daeng police station to file a report.
The newspaper reports that about two thousand demonstrators blocked access to the police station, but fails to mention whether those reports have been made. In the afternoon, the demonstrators returned to the stadium. One incident occurred: two men threw firecrackers at the station. The police are preparing reports against the besiegers.
Action leader Suthep Thaugsuban has apologized to the media for criticizing their work. He said, "I never intimidated them." Suthep promised to better control his own guards and asked the protesters to take good care of the press last night.
This is badly needed, because two reporters were attacked on Sunday evening and the work of the media was also seriously hampered yesterday.
The press struggled to get into the stadium (pictured the reporter who was attacked on Sunday and couldn't leave the stadium yesterday) and once she got in, she couldn't get out. A reporter from Channel 7 was hindered during a live report, a reporter from Thai PBS had to hide in a report truck.
Obstacles on the way to the elections
The paper's analysis identifies some potential obstacles. Pointwise:
- District legislature seats can remain vacant in districts where the Democrats have an absolute majority, such as in the South. If at least 25 seats remain empty, parliament cannot get to work.
- In single-candidate constituencies, 20 percent of eligible voters must vote. If there are fewer, the seat remains empty.
- Local electoral councils can remove the ballot boxes from the polling station and throw them into the river (suggested by action leader Suthep).
- The registration in the Thai-Japan stadium fails. This week the candidates for the national list must register, next week the district candidates. The Electoral Council should have already determined the list numbering, but has postponed it.
- The outgoing government is in trouble because of a ruling by the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which is investigating corruption in the rice mortgage system. That ruling is expected in January. There are also other proceedings against 383 MPs for their support of the Senate bill, which the Constitutional Court has called unconstitutional.
Just like yesterday I will end with the Breaking News from the day before because not everyone will have read those items.
(Source: Bangkok Post, Dec. 24, 2013)
Breaking News Dec 23
• (Continued) Chitpas Bhirombhakdi's statement that many Thais don't understand what democracy is … especially in rural areas, has gone down the wrong way with red shirt leader Kwanchai Praipana in Khon Kaen. He led XNUMX red shirts to a subsidiary of Singha on Monday afternoon and demanded that Chitpas be called to order over her insulting remarks. Kwanchai also accused the brewer of financially supporting the protest movement and threatened to boycott Singha products.
• Singha bier's daughter and heiress adopts a new surname so that she can continue her political activities without harming the family's commercial interests. Chitpas Bhirombhakdi (27) is a former spokesperson for the opposition party Democrats and she regularly speaks on the podium of the protest movement.
The name change is reported in an open letter written by her father. Earlier, the patriarch of the Singha family, director of the Boon Rawd Brewery, sent a letter to the father warning of Chitpas' political activities. Chitpas probably takes her mother's maiden name. Update: The newspaper writes on Tuesday morning that mommy and daddy also change their last name.
• Only 9 of the 34 parties taking part in the elections managed to register today. But they were there early: they arrived in the middle of the night. The other parties saw no chance to enter because of the demonstrators who blocked the entrances of the Thai-Japan stadium. They went straight to the police station to report the incident.
The Electoral Council is not yet planning to move. "We have until December 27," said Electoral Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakom. Relocation is only considered when the other parties fail to register. The first demonstrators arrived on Sunday night. Forty employees of the Electoral Council spent the night in the stadium. They locked the doors so that the demonstrators could not enter.
• Yingluck Shinawatra is again the leader of the ex-government party Pheu Thai. Number 2 on the national electoral list is Somchai Wongsawat, former prime minister and Yingluck's brother-in-law. This is followed by the names of four cabinet members: the ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Employment.
• Thirty-five political parties have announced that they will participate in the elections with a national list. The candidates have to register this week, but that will be difficult today because the Thai-Japan stadium, where it will take place, is under siege by demonstrators. Next week it will be the turn of the district candidates.
• Two reporters from channel 9 and channel 3 respectively were attacked by demonstrators on Sunday afternoon. Protesters threw water at the Channel 9 reporter's face and pulled her away in an attempt to stop the TV team from parking a reporter's van in front of the Government Lottery Office on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. That office is close to the Democracy Monument, where the main stage of the protest movement is located. The reporter filed a police report.
In front of City Hall, protesters threatened a Channel 3 reporter after she had reported live on the demonstration on the roof of the reporter's van. After the incident, a protest leader took the stage and told the protesters to leave journalists alone.
The statement by Chitpas Bhirombhakdi (Singha heiress) “that many Thais don't understand what democracy is… especially in the countryside” illustrates how the yellow people think about people other than “our kind of people”.
That does not bode well for those who do not belong “to the canal belt”. Her thinking fits exactly with the behavior of other "greats" (such as the grandson of Red Bull owner, who kills a cop and just drives home).
I'm afraid that this group of people has a very different definition of the term "democracy". It will probably come down to the fact that a few richer families from Bangkok will take care of it for the rest. And that regulation will not lead to a better position of “the rest”.
So it is really high time to channel Suthep's hunger for power and the financially supporting “canal belt families” through elections.
Dear Teun,
It is a pity that you have already condemned this 27-year-old daughter to be a rich louse daughter, hungry for power and also compare her to the Red-Bull son.
I think it's brave that she is fighting corruption. The money her family has earned comes from working on and from a good product.
It would be nice if we made a difference between getting rich at the expense of the population or making a product that the population can choose.
The majority of the population, especially outside the big cities, understands nothing about politics let alone the meaning of democracy and or fair elections.
Most people outside the big cities live on the produce of their land and if someone gives them money that makes their life a little easier on that day, they are happy with it.
You too probably and often read the stories of life outside the big cities, for example the vast Isaan area, many of the stories on this Blog are correct…the people there are busy with their own lives and are mainly interested in the politicians who give their money or the village gives a cow or blankets or builds a well.
Chitpas deserves a chance to do good for the country just like any other child of any race I think.
She may also lie on a beach like Paris and add nothing more to this life, but she chooses the opportunity to improve the country.
Nice is not it ?
greetings from Danny
Dear Danny,
First of all, in my reflection I have not expressed any judgment about the good product you praised (read: Singha). Members of the families described by me as “canal belt” are also allowed to engage in politics.
But if you start your political career with the statement that "many Thais don't understand what democracy is ... especially in the countryside" then it makes you think. From your statement "...the people there are busy with their own lives and are mainly interested in the politicians who give them some money or give the village a cow or blankets or build a well" it becomes clear that you, like Chitpas, account for about two-thirds of the residents of this country as politically ignorant.
Well, I get the feeling that people like Chitpas do not intend to make a substantial change in this situation – if it has already been correctly assessed.
Fortunately, you already indicate in your response that Chitpas' statement is incorrect. After all, you state that the people there are mainly interested in politicians who give a cow, blankets or build a well. In other words, they are interested in politicians who actually do something to improve their lives and opportunities. And they are therefore not interested in politicians who do speak nice words, but above all do not want to do / change anything.
Or do you think that Chitpas actually intends to improve the situation in "the countryside" with or without the help of part of the family wealth?