A big proportion of New Mandala’s readers and contributors have a serious interest in Thai politics. Unsurprisingly, many of those people are based in Thailand.
To my mind, they are perfectly placed to take advantage of Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin’s generous offer to those who inform on vote buyers: “Pending the issuing of new regulations, informants might get a percentage from a fine ranging from Bt20,000 to Bt200,000 imposed on vote buyers”.
Depending on that percentage this could be a lucrative sideline for New Mandala readers who are already closely watching the upcoming election. I do wonder – who will be the first reader to grab the cash? The Colonel (with his impeccable connections)? Or will somebody else come out of the woodwork to take the money?
Any readers who do take up General Sonthi’s challenge should let us all know how it goes.
Long-time readers may recall that Andrew Walker “was a beneficiary of Thaksin’s munificence before the 2005 election, receiving 100 baht, a Thai Rak Thai jacket and a first aid kit at a meeting [he] attended with villagers in rural Chiang Mai province”. Would a foreign researcher be able to take a share of General Sonthi’s largesse? Perhaps the better question is – would they want to?
10 responses so far ↓
1 col. jeru // Oct 25, 2007 at 1:07 am
Has anyone of you (those residing in Thailand) ever asked your house boys or maids why they sell their votes when they return to their villages every election?
Come election time the village kamnans call in every eligible village voter and dutifully because of village or family pressure, these lambs from Bangkok and other cities return to vote the kamnan’s candidate of choice.
“Take the money and run, or vote the other way” I stupidly suggest. “And get killed for the Baht 400 to vote kamnan’s choice . . . never!” the intelligent reply.
If not intimidated, then the village peer pressure is enough to discourage the lambs from straying, or, as Nicolas Farrely is hoping, from ratting.
The only way to catch the vote buyers, and, vote sellers, is to entrap them and NOT for the Baht 20K or Baht 200K reward either, but to politically discredit opposing parties.
Now Srithanonchai, do you still think Thai democracy should be emulated by Germany or U.K.?
2 Srithanonchai // Oct 25, 2007 at 2:04 am
Col. Jeru: “Now Srithanonchai, do you still think Thai democracy should be emulated by Germany or U.K.?” > Show me were I have made this statement.
3 col. jeru // Oct 25, 2007 at 3:26 am
But Srithanonchai you were so quick to believe ONE Thai author Siripan, despite common knowledge that Thai politicians are easily bought (remember Thaksin Shinawatra?), and I quote you below:
Srithanonchai Oct 24, 2007 at 10:24 pm
In Thailand, they do not switch parties, actually. They switch party labels and personal allegiances. If Siripan’s statement (Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee, Thai Poltical Parties in an Age of Reform, Dec 2006, p. 107) is true, then the degree of democraticness of Thailand is very high, while that of Germany or the UK is very low.
Forget the IF, Srithanonchai . . . you just love Thai democracy, don’t you?
4 krid // Oct 25, 2007 at 4:13 am
@col. jeru: “And get killed for the Baht 400 to vote kamnan’s choice”. Did you mean this figuratively, or did voters actually get physically killed (being physically dead afterwards) for voting the wrong way?
I have heard of canvassers getting killed by opposing parties but never of voters?! With the junta moving the vote counting back to the voting areas, away from centralized places as it was according to the venerable 1997 constitution, canvassers and voters are now in more (mortal) danger than in the previous elections. And of course the army together with the “kamnans for life” will take care that the vote count is just right in the areas under martial law.
And we thought it was the “stupid folk”, whose “unpricipled wants some party was pandering to…”. And you suggest it’s actually the smart people who have their votes bought from them? Indeed, no need to emulate this anywhere else.
5 jonfernquest // Oct 25, 2007 at 2:23 pm
“To my mind, they [foreigtners living in rural Thailand] are perfectly placed to take advantage of Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin’s generous offer to those who inform on vote buyers…”
I can feel the teeth of the local dog biting my leg.
And five rabies shots .
6 Srithanonchai // Oct 25, 2007 at 3:05 pm
Col. Jeru: I did not believe Siripan but problematized her statement by a) questioning her concept of “political parties” in the Thai context and b) introducing a comparative reference.
7 col. jeru // Oct 25, 2007 at 6:13 pm
I am not aware of any voters in the past being killed for voting against the wishes of his kamnan . . . or for taking the money and voting the other way. But to my maid, the threat is real and she said she could not think of anyone in her family or her village voting against her kamnan’s choice. Hence, I asked the forum whether my maid’s case is isolated and extreme or whether it is the norm (according to those residing in Thailand).
Thankfully Thailand’s politics, although as dirty as the Philippines and probably with the same scale of vote-buying, are NOT as violent prone.
But Thailand’s politicians can be as thuggish as their Philippines counterparts and with probably with the same proportional number of Thugs-Politicians in parliament.
8 krid // Oct 26, 2007 at 2:05 am
I can image that the ubiquitoius social control in the Thai village extends to the ballot box. This is exacerbated by the new de-centralized vote counting, the military on every corner and martial law in 27 provinces. From what I’ve seen in the referendum, the secrecy of the vote is compromised in many places with people sitting around glass ballot boxes placed in the middle of large halls, the voter stepping up under the eyes of everyone and his ballot being visible after it’s cast. Add to this a general atmosphere of voter intimidation and a government propaganda campaign levelled against a certain party, and it’s clear how much Thailand has moved backwards in the past year or so. Today politicians are crooked all the same but the voting is rigged more than before.
9 Historicus // Oct 26, 2007 at 2:13 am
What about those of us not privileged or rich enough to have a maid or houseboy – there’s a quaint term? Can we ask others, like taxi drivers or spouses? Or is this a survey of maids and houseboys?
10 Srithanonchai // Oct 26, 2007 at 3:16 am
“his ballot being visible after it’s cast” > Was this really the case? The ballot was supposed to be put into the ballot box after the voter folded it so that nobody could see where the cross was made. I agree that the return of vote-counting to the polling stations is most unfortunate, and actually contradicts the intention of the CDA. Maybe, its members did not understand how Thai elections work…
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