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Published on October 26, 2007

The classified documents purportedly prepared by the Council for National Security (CNS), and cited by the People Power Party (PPP) as evidence of a military plot to discredit the party and scupper its chance of winning a substantial number of House seats in the December 23 general election, are disturbing. Any move by the armed forces or other state agencies to take any action in favour or against any political party competing in the countrywide poll would make a mockery of the attempt by the Surayud government and the Election Commission to ensure a free and fair election.

A free and fair election is the single most important prerequisite for the restoration of democracy in this country after more than a year of military rule since the corruption-prone Thaksin government was overthrown in September 2006.

Much of the legitimacy of the new civilian government that will emerge from the election hinges on the public perception that political parties competed on a level playing field. Interference by the military or state agencies in the electoral process would undermine that perceived legitimacy, which is crucial for Thailand's attempt to develop as a democratic society.

The PPP, a self-professed reincarnation of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party, should be allowed to take part in the election on equal terms alongside parties of every ideological hue and stripe. It should matter little that the PPP, headed by Samak Sundaravej, is filled with politicians who remain loyal to Thaksin and who have vowed to carry on the Thai Rak Thai's populist policies.

Let's not forget that there are many people in this country who still admire Thaksin and his policies. These people are eligible voters who have equal rights with other Thai citizens, and they must be allowed to choose representatives who share their views and offer them a policy platform they find attractive. Any attempt by the military or state apparatus to cripple the PPP simply because many of its high-profile members are closely associated with Thaksin would make the December 23 poll the opposite of free and fair, and that can't be good for democracy - in the same way that disenfranchising millions of people who still admire Thaksin cannot be good for democracy.

The secret documents released by the PPP outline a junta plan to use state-run mass-media organisations to both to counter that party's verbal attacks against the CNS and the junta-appointed interim government, as well as to expose the party's alleged ulterior motives. All these activities are supposed to be carried out by the CNS in the name of maintaining national security.

It is assumed that if the PPP wins the election and achieves power, this would lead to Thaksin and members of his family - who are facing serious criminal suits in connection with corruption scandals - being let off the hook completely, if not also staging a triumphant political comeback.

But the people of Thailand will make the decision on whether to elect PPP candidates in large enough numbers for them to gain power. The military has no business making that decision for all of us. Such a heavy-handed approach at this juncture is totally uncalled for. Besides, no democracy-loving people in this country want the military to exert undue influence on the election outcome. Nor do they want the armed forces to continue to play a dominant role in politics for much longer.

Indeed, the military should start making preparations to go back to barracks. Military leaders should start familiarising themselves with the idea that after the democratically elected government takes over power from the junta-appointed interim government, they will be taking orders from civilian leaders who represent the people.

Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont should persuade the junta to come to its senses and abandon the plan to launch a media war against the PPP. If the junta remains true to its promise to clean up Thai politics and bring about a sustainable democracy based on strict adherence to the rule of law, it must abandon such unfair and underhanded tactics. Instead, all efforts must be made to prevent corrupt politicians and their parties from taking unfair advantage over their competitors through vote-buying and other electoral fraud.

The Nation