EC targets vote-buying
The Election Commission has slated next year to wipe out pork-barrel politics as it gears up to organise the next general election, EC member Prapun Naigowit said yesterday.
"I hope vote-buying will become extinct," he said in a speech to graduates in public law from Thammasat University. Prapun urged students and members of the public to get involved in the drafting of the new constitution in order to draw up tangible measures to get rid of money politics. "The charter rewrite is the key to improving on electoral rules ensuring the credibility of Thai elections," he said. He said the drafting process should not be left up to the 100 members of the Constitution Drafting Assembly and its panel of 35 charter-writers. The EC is making preparations for the referendum on the new constitution and the subsequent elections, Prapun said. He said the private sector and students would be encouraged to monitor the referendum and elections in order to ensure fairness. Political parties and electoral candidates will face harsher penalties if they are found to be involved in vote-buying, he added. He cited the example of South Korea, where strict law enforcement resulted in a decrease in campaign violations. He said the EC would rely on proactive measures, including sting operations, to smoke out vote-buying attempts and mete out maximum punishment to the offenders and their parties. "Vote-buying will no longer be tolerated and the EC will crack down on vote-buyers to the fullest extent of the law," he said.
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