Former prime minister and ex-leader of the Democrat Party, Chuan Leekpai, yesterday questioned the party's current leader, Abhisit Vejjajiva, in the first hearings of defendants' witnesses in the electoral fraud case.

Defending the party against electoral fraud accusations that could lead to its dissolution, Abhisit described the party's 60-year-old philosophy and its contributions to society. Unlike in previous hearings, Constitution Tribunal members didn't interrupt the question-and-answer session by arguing that the lawyers asked unnecessary questions.

However, Chuan, the party's chief adviser and head of its legal team, interrupted Abhisit when he was going to mention Article 7 of the 1997 Constitution, which related to royally-appointed prime ministers.

The Democrat Party was accused of trying to impede democracy by proposing the use of the Article. The tribunal has since dropped the allegation. Answering Chuan's questions, Abhisit said it was the party's policy to follow the law. While the Democrats and two other former opposition parties boycotted the April 2 election, they considered voting the duty of all good citizens. But people also had the right to mark a "no vote" if they chose.

Abhisit, party secretary-general Suthep Thaugsuban and lawyer Bundit Siripant all testified before the Constitution Tribunal.

The Democrat Party is accused of cooperating with the People's Alliance for Democracy to frame and topple the Thai Rak Thai government, and of hiring people to represent the Progressive Democratic Party in Trang. It is also accused of obstructing candidate registration in Songkhla and hiring the Better Life Party to frame Thai Rak Thai.

Abhisit told the tribunal that the Democrat Party boycotted the election not because it wanted to disrupt the election, but because it did not want to become a tool that legitimised Thaksin's House dissolution which, the Democrats allege, was a ploy for the ex-PM to avoid investigation.

There was no reason to obstruct candidate registration in Songkhla or obstruct the election to ensure that Parliament was not full. Thai Rak Thai party-list MP candidate Premsak Piayura had resigned from the party so his candidacy in that constitution was already cancelled.

He said political activities were the constitutional right of the people; the term "Thaksin's regime", which he had used against Thaksin in rallies, was created by academics; and that the Thaksin government was harmful to the country.

Suthep, who was accused of hiring leaders and candidates from small parties to run in the election, said candidates from small parties had asked for his help after they mistakenly registered as candidates without qualification. But he had let them join a press conference to prevent others from making the same mistake.

He said he did not let Thaikorn Polsuwan hire the leader of the Better Life Party, Watwarit Tantipirom, to damage Thai Rak Thai former deputy leader Suwat Liptapanlop. He did not know Watwarit, did not file a complaint against Suwat with the Election Commission and had no reason to cause him damage. He added that no party executives had assigned him to do anything of the kind.

Suthep said Thaikorn was a Democrat a long time ago. He then switched to other parties. He tried to register as a Democrat again while reports of the alleged electoral fraud were in the news, but he wasn't qualified. The party appointed a committee to verify his qualification, but Thaikorn decided not to pursue his registration.

Bundit tried to prove to the tribunal that Thaksin's government had interfered in the Office of the Attorney-General. He said the election of the attorney-general was dubious because the chairman of the Attorney-General's Committee, Pimol Rathapat, had long been an adviser to Thaksin's Shin Corp. Thaksin's brother-in-law, Somchai Wongsawat, was also on the committee, he said.

Kornchanok Raksaseri

The Nation