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Published on August 18, 2007

Politicians may switch parties, giving rise to strange bedfellows, and the political atmosphere may improve as the public has voted, but in the end the long entrenched political culture of this Kingdom will remain the same. That's where the crux of the problems lies.

Even the rallying leading up to tomorrow's vote reflects all the dirty tactics employed in Thai politics: vote-buying, mudslinging and propaganda campaigns. A relatively new innovation for this referendum has been the reported use of multi-level marketing, urging one voter to seek 10 more.

These dirty tactics will not go away no matter how many constitutions Thailand has. The country's record on national elections, despite efforts to ensure free and fair ones, doesn't provide much hope for the future either. Vote-buying has been with us all along, and it seems it's here to stay.

While the public must be on guard against such bribery, stopping this vicious cycle completely requires politicians to be conscientious.

Villagers cannot be blamed for their sincerity in reciprocating favours, but to play on this soft spot is a wicked, albeit a clever ploy. Indeed the responsibility to set good standards lies more with politicians than on the public, who already have a lot to shoulder making a living.

Equally deeply rooted is the exceptional ability of Thai politicians to find loopholes in the law. The past five years were a prime example. Check-and-balance mechanisms, especially independent agencies, were distorted as never before.

Or take a look at some former politicians who tried their best to outwit a court order prohibiting them from causing a rift in society. They must think they are damn smart to be able to challenge a court order.

Selling one's soul is another prominent feature. Whether it's for Bt20 million, Bt30 million, or more, Thai politicians rarely think of the country's interest. It's doubtful whether they could even spell out what their responsibilities are as a result of having taken "public office" and to whom they are actually accountable.

Shame is also never an issue. We would never see Thai politicians apologising for their wrongdoings as we do in countries with civilised politicians.

The breed of politicians that have littered the Thai political landscape for so long are blessed with especially thick facial skin.

It's a pity to see constitution-drafters rack their brains to set up the best guideline for the country, just to see it erased on average once every 4.41 years. Since Thailand's change to constitutional monarchy in 1932, Thailand has had 17 constitutions. Tomorrow may result in either a brand new one or a modification.

Even the 1997 constitution, which is believed to have been the best so far, had its flaws, but again no constitution is perfect. A strong political culture, in which politicians automatically take to heart what is appropriate without needing written laws to spell out punishments, can only be created by starting with the politicians themselves.

Thailand has been fixated with this culture for so long that one can only hope for the best after the referendum, just as we all hoped for the best from the 1997 constitution.

One benefit from the upcoming referendum, though, is that we have debate around the country. It's especially heartening to see politicians, academics, students and members of the public discuss the pros and cons of the draft constitution. Such exchanges are crucial to any country's development. These debates, particularly those involving politicians, had been lacking for the past couple of years because some just simply didn't have the guts to take on challenges.

For our part, we should all exercise our votes, not only because it's historic in the sense that this is the first time we have been allowed to vote directly for or against a draft constitution, but also to show that at least we as voters live up to our responsibilities.

 Veenarat Laohapakakul