The voters in Sakon Nakhon have overwhelmingly chosen to elect an MP who will sit on the opposition side of parliament. The by-election in Sakon Nakhon (3) was bought about when one of the sitting Pheua Thai members, Pongsak Boonsol, was disqualified for alleged electoral misconduct. The by-election, held yesterday, was a contest between Pongsak’s wife, Anurak Boonsol and the Bhum Jai Thai party’s Pitak Chansri. The result was a landslide to Pheua Thai. Matichon Online has an unofficial count from 11 PM last night with 83,312 votes to Pheua Thai and 47,198 to Bhum Jai Thai. That’s about 63 percent of the vote to Pheua Thai (in a two horse race) compared with about 43 percent in the 2007 election (with a much larger field).
The Thaksin clan had a high profile in the campaign and Thaksin himself is said to have called district and village heads to urge them to support Pheua Thai. The Thaksin brand is clearly not as soiled as many have suggested.
Bhum Jai Thai attempted, unsuccessfully, to out-populist Thaksin:
BJT [Bhum Jai Thai], which consists mainly of politicians from what was once Thaksin’s vote base-the Northeast-is working to implement a new set of populist policies, and as it turns out, the new policies seem to be more far-reaching, palpable and penetrating than what Thaksin sowed. The seminar or ‘‘reality show” staged by BJT inTambon Ban Nongphai-Nadee in Sakhon Nakhon province early this month was also more grand, with more politicians and villagers taking part, than a similar show Thaksin managed in Roi Et province in 2006.Directed by Newin Chidchob, the party’s banned leader, the show also appeared much more ‘‘real”. The party’s MPs went to live, eat, plough rice fields and sleep with the villagers. It marks the first time that key ministers mixed so intimately with villagers in order to learn about their needs and their local wisdom. After three days and two nights, populist policies based on the what the MPs learned first-hand from the villagers were drafted.
For starters, BJT’s ‘‘one village, one sports ground” project and the ‘‘one sanitarium, one ambulance and one medical team” project aim to promote good health in an integrated manner. The ‘‘one TAO (Tambon Administration Organisation), one rice bank and one rice mill” project is a solution to the problem where middle men push down the prices of the rice they buy from farmers. The ‘‘dust-free road” project will be expanded to cover all provinces. Apart from these schemes, there are the ‘‘one village, one irrigation system” project and the ‘‘carbon-credit” project aimed at reducing pollution while making money from the efforts. All these projects are collectively called Nongphai-Nadee Folk Wisdom after the locations where the policies originated. BJT plans to hold a similar seminar in either Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai.
I could be wrong, but I don’t think “folk wisdom” (phum panyaa, I presume) is going to be much of a vote winner in 21st century Thailand.
11 responses so far ↓
1 blogskeptik // Jun 22, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Who cares! It happened to the Newin people. Whereas you guys might be wetting yourself over Newin’s supposed U-turn, some of us still remember that he is just as corrupt and arrogant as Thaksin. Yoiu people have 5 second memories.
2 nganadeeleg // Jun 22, 2009 at 2:08 pm
A dead end whichever way you turn.
3 Susie Wong // Jun 22, 2009 at 2:20 pm
From Matichon online, Puea Thai party and Phum jai Thai party provide reason of the outcome of Sakon Nakhorn’s by election.
“ประชาชนเห็นว่าพรรคเพื่อไทยเป็นคนยากจนและมุ่งมั่นที่จะแก้ไขปัญหา ในพื้นที่ภาคอีสานในระดับรากหญ้า
ชาวอีสานยังรัก พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ ที่เคยแก้ไขปัญหาความยากจน ทำให้ประชาชนยังมั่นใจในนโยบายที่พรรคเพื่อไทย ตัวผู้สมัครของพรรคเพื่อไทยขยันลงพื้นที่นำเสนอนโยบายต่อชาวอีสาน
รวมถึงชาว จ.สกลนคร ตื่นตัวในเรื่องของการเลือกตั้งมากขึ้น พรรคเพื่อไทยเล่นการเมืองแบบตรงไปตรงมา จนทำให้ประชาชนไว้วางใจ”
Translation:
The winner, Puea Thai party, said “People see Puea Thai Party as party of poor people, with the intention to solve the problem of the Northeast region at the grassroots level. The Northeast people still love Police Lt.Col. Thaksin who had solved their poverty problems in the past, which made people maintain confidence in Puea Thai party’s policy. Furthermore, the candidate has diligently put forth the party’s policy to Northeast people. In addition, Sakon Nakhon people became more active and awaken to electoral process. Puea Thai party plays an honest politics, as a result, people have given trust to the party.”
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ยอมรับว่าก่อนหน้านี้ไม่ได้คิดมาก่อนว่าจะแพ้
จะนำข้อมูลต่างๆ ไปวิเคราะห์ว่าปัญหาที่เกิดขึ้นเป็นเพราะไร เพื่อจะหาทางป้องกันและกำหนดยุทธศาสตร์ใหม่ในอนคต
เหตุผลที่ทำให้แพ้มีอยู่ 5 ประการคือ
1.การโฟนอินอย่างต่อเนื่องของ พ.ต.ท.ทักษิณ
2.กลุ่มเสื้อแดงเข้าพื้นที่จำนวนมาก
3.การแจกใบปลิวโจมตีนายเนวิน
4.ระยะเวลาในการลงพื้นที่น้อย
5.การกล่าวใส่ร้ายของนายจตุพร พรหมพันธุ์ ในสภา
นาย ชัย ชิดชอบ ประธานสภาผู้แทนราษฎร กล่าวว่า พล.อ. พัลลภ ปิ่นมณี อดีตรองผู้อำนวยการรักษาความมั่นคงภายใน (รอง ผอ.รมน.) พล.ต.ขัตติยะ สวัสดิผล ผู้ทรงคุณวุฒิกองทัพบก และ พล.ต.มนูญกฤต รูปขจร อดีตประธานวุฒิสภา ทั้งหมดอยู่ที่นั่น
Translation:
Phum jai Thai party said, “We admitted that we had never thought we would lose this election. We will collect data to analyze what the problem is, so that we could prevent and find a new strategy in the future. There are 5 reasons that led to our defeat.
1. Police Lt.Col Thaksin’s phone-in
2. More Red Shirt Movement’s activity in the area
3. There are leaflets attacking Newin Chidchob
4. The party had short period of time in the area
5. One of the Red Shirt Movement’s leader, Jatiporn Prompan, had given a speech attacking Newin Chidchob in the Parliament.
Also, Newin Chidchob’s father, Mr.Chai, the House Speaker, implied that the presence of General Panlop Pinmanee, former deputy director of the Internal Security; Major General Kattiya Sawatdiphon, Army’s Special Expert; Major General Manoonkrit Roopkajorn, Former President of the Upper House, has caused the defeat of Phum jai Thai party.
_______________________
In my opinion, I am delighted with the outcome. I am happy to see the Red Movement maturing with character!
4 Vichai N // Jun 22, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Bangkok Pundit (Andrew Walker’s sidekick) is getting wildly ecstatic at ‘Thaksin’s victory’ at Sakon Nakhon by-election! Andrew Walker could not resist to drool!
But me thinks ‘irrational exuberance’ is more like it.
One quickie does not a summer make.
5 Steve // Jun 22, 2009 at 4:56 pm
@ Vichai N
I just re-read Bangkok Pundit’s two posts relating to the Sakon Nakhon by-election – looking for anything that could be rationally viewed as “wild” or “ecstatic”. As usual – plenty of detail, analysis and question-raising………but nothing that fits your imaginative description of it.
Methinks wishful thinking (aka bias) from you is more like it.
So – in the light of that – what to make of your “sidekick” comment?
6 Vichai N // Jun 22, 2009 at 8:06 pm
To Steve– Wildly ecstatic’ and ‘drooling’ and ’sidekick’ are not understatements and Andrew W and BP both would get it even if Steve you don’t.
7 polo // Jun 22, 2009 at 10:41 pm
A typo?… or maybe it’s really right when you say “The by-election in Sakon Nakhon (3) was bought about”
8 antipadshist // Jun 23, 2009 at 2:40 am
I get the feeling that BJT, Dems and EC will somehow find the ways to annul the results of this election victory.
after all, it has become sort of a professional job for EC – to disuqlify any party which is not allied with Dems. and they are pretty good at it – and each time getting better and better.
so, let’s wait and see how long it will take before the results are declared void or whatever other reason found to disqualify the elected MP.
)
(or if not this one – then there are many others who can be easily disqualified anytime
9 blogskeptik // Jun 23, 2009 at 3:08 am
It’s all about stuffing a few baht in a few people’s pockets, and the opposition obviously didn’t pay enough. Thai politicians still have the slave-owning mentality.
10 Kevin Hewison // Jun 23, 2009 at 12:52 pm
As Vichai N shows, this result is going to really scare a lot of people. PJT threw everything at this election. Even a couple of bombs. The military helped out and the Dems did all they could (which basically meant staying out of the area and keeping rather quiet). But for all of this they were trounced.
That could have dire consequences because they thought they had won (a redux of 2007 perhaps). What do they do now. Crack down more perhaps?
So the result does have more meaning than the throwing around of a few baht (which sems to have mainly come from PJT).
And, as an aside, I join Steve in not being able to find anything in BP that comes close to “getting wildly ecstatic at ‘Thaksin’s victory’ at Sakon Nakhon by-election.” Vichai’s yellow shirt is showing.
11 Sidh S // Jun 23, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Good point Nganadeeleg #2.
These by-elections certainly serve as an ideal rallying points for the Reds@SanamLuang this weekend.
On the other hand, the Talented Mr.Newin may have to reconsider his prime ministerial aspirations or pace it differently. This can be both bad and good for the Democrats (who clearly have only trouble mixing with BhumjaiThai – with the mega-corrupt bus lease, agriculture mortgage schemes etc…etc… – can anyone comment on the latter agriculture mortgage schemes? I’d like to be able to put my head around it more as it clearly has direct impact on the long-term plight of the rural poor). Good in the short term as BJT may moderate their appetite for gigantic government project commissions and take a more ’sustainable’ long term route to winning the hearts of the rural voters from PMThaksin. Bad for the Democrats – “What the heck?” calculates the Genius Newin “Why go through all the trouble, let’s kiss and make up with PheuThai” (he might even be able negotiate the primiership from a desperate Thaksin!).
Both are highly plausible and will determine the route Thai Democracy takes to the next election…
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