Political parties voice concern over new electoral law

Chat Thai Party leader Banharn Silapa-archa and his two counterparts, Democrat Abhisit Vejjajiva and Mahachon's Sanan Kachornprasart, on Wednesday voiced opposition to the draft provision on punishment.

The three spoke in a seminar organised to solicit opinions on the draft organic law on political parties.

"I don't condone vote-buying but some ill-intentioned elements might exploit the punishment by party dissolution in order to eliminate rivals," Banharn said.

For example, if he wants to wipe out the Democrats, he might plant a proxy who will run under the Democrat banner and deliberately buy votes to destroy the rival party, he said.

Under the draft provision, the vote-buying conviction against electoral candidates can lead to their party disbandment and a five-year ban for party executives to engage in politics upon proven the linkage between the party, or one of its executives, and the violations.

Abhisit said he understood the good intent to deter money politics although he wanted the election monitors to alert the parties concerned instead of trying to fault them.

"In the discovery of vote-buying involving Democrats, please alert I or other party executives to preempt the violations in progress and punish individual candidates involved," he said.

Sanan said too severe a punishment might backfire to trigger the framing of rival parties.

Charter writer Prasong Soonsiri, who is in charge of drafting the organic provisions, said the three party leaders might have overreacted.

"The party disbandment will happen only after being proven to have linked to vote-buying committed by electoral candidates," he said.

Prasong said political parties must stop money politicking or else they will definitely be dismantled by the law.

Krirkkiat Pipatseritham, panel chairman for provisions on political parties, said the new organic law will strive to achieve five goals.

A political party should represent a mass movement with policies reflecting the aspirations of its constituents, he said.

Each party should actively field electoral candidates. The country boasts 49 parties, only four of which ran in the last general election.

Every party should not be under the domination of any capitalist groups.

All parties should be managed under democratic principles to prevent becoming proxies to party financiers.

Each party should attain its financial viability via campaign donations and state subsidies. Any party without electoral candidates should not be entitled for state support.