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Published on July 12, 2007

The parties are scared of possible set-ups that might lead to false convictions if any candidates are found guilty.

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

The three party leaders spoke at a seminar organised to solicit opinions on the draft law on political parties.

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

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

Under the draft provision, if an electoral candidate is found guilty of vote-buying, it could lead to a party being disbanded and a five-year political ban for party executives.

The punishment would rely on proof of a link between the party - one of its executives - and those who commit the offence.

Abhisit said he understood the good intent in trying to erase money politics but he wanted election monitors to alert the parties concerned instead of trying to frame them.

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

Sanan said too severe a punishment might backfire.

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

"The disbanding of a party would happen only if it was proven that it [the party hierarchy] was directly linked to vote-buying by electoral candidates," he said.

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

Krirkkiat Pipatseritham, panel chairman for provisions on political parties, said the new law would 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 currently has 49 parties, but only four ran in the last general election.

Parties should not be under the control of any capitalist groups.

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

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

Atthayuth Butrsripoom

The Nation