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Published on November 23, 2007

Politics in the upcoming election may employ the same grammar and logic as previous campaigns but new words, labels and expressions have been created to capture the imagination of the voters.

This new vocabulary may not change the political discourse - but it does make it easier for voters to remember.

The Constitution Tribunal's historic ruling to dissolve the Thai Rak Thai Party (TRT) and strip its 111 executives of their electoral rights for five years has inspired the media and politicians to come up with all kinds of labels.

The new phrase "Baan Lek Thi 111" (House No 111) is now all over the media. Unlike No 10 Downing Street, the office of the British prime minister, House No 111 is not literally a residence but a shelter for the 111 banned TRT executives. It was founded by banned TRT executive Chaturon Chaisang after the Election commission (EC)resolved to prohibit them from taking part in public rallies in the run-up to the December 23 election.

The EC also decided to prohibit the former TRT executives from having their photos taken with election candidates, taking any political position in any party, and being a member of any party.

The residence, in fact, doesn't exist. Its members will simply use a stage as their "house" in rallies around the country to defy the EC's decision. They did plan to publicly open their new house and unveil their "Baan Lek Thi 111 Meets the People" show today in Lumpini Park - but their request to use the area was turned down by the city authorities.

So who lives in the house?

Well, the Chomrom Kon Hiew Hua (Head Carrier Association) or the Chomrom Kon Hua Hai (Headless Association). This is another expression dubbed by the media to label the 111 banned members. It was teasingly named after a comedy movie called "Kon Hiew Hua" or The Head Carrier.

The movie is about a good-for-nothing father who swears that he will not die unless he finds a large sum of money to pay for his young son's tuition. He then gets involved with a crime, robbing a gambling circle of millions of baht. But his accomplices get greedy. They cut off his head and dump the body and head separately.

Before the father is killed, he hides the money and keeps the key to the hidden loot on his person. The head knows where the money is but needs the key to get to it - which is with the body. The challenge then is to get body and head reunited, and stitched back together.

In a political context, the name is used to describe those who are (temporarily) dead in politics but who would like to carry on living for the sake of their parties.

The banned TRT executives are likened to the "head" in the movie and the PPP members are compared to the "body". Even if the head and the body were cut off, they both still need each other. So the body has to carry the head all the time otherwise they cannot reach their goal.

"Ponlamuang Chan Song" (Second-class Citizen) is another expression used to describe the members of House No 111 by one of its members Sudarat Keyuraphan.

She complained that the 111 members are now being treated like second class citizens.

Sudarat plans to invite the other 110 banned executives, and anyone else who is interested in creating a website, www.secondclass111.com, to air their political views. Sudarat expects to launch the website in the next two weeks.

Chaiyan Chaiporn, a political scientist from Chulalongkorn University, said creating words and expressions to use in a political context or news does have an impact on voter recall - but not on the decision on how to vote.

"Sudarat chose the right label for herself. However, her fans felt sorry for her before she even gave herself that label, but it won't get much sympathy from those who realise the wrongdoers need to be punished," he said.

The word "GMO Party" is currently being used for the political parties that broke away from the TRT after the September coup. They are Matchima Thipataya, Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, and Puea Pandin.

Chaiyan said the term "GMO Party" or calling Samak a "nominee" of exiled prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra are not a new phenomenon. This behaviour has happened before - but in a time when "GMO" and "nominee" were not yet in use.

Many years ago, the Social Action Party split from the Democrats and conservative leader Luang Phibulsongkram (Plaek Phibulsongkram) then appointed Democrat leader Khuang Apiwong to be PM, as a nominee for him, said  Chaiyan. Meanwhile, "Bonsai" is used as a verb to describe the junta's attempt to check the growth of the PPP.

Normally, the media creates a phrase or a short and easy to remember sentence when writing the news. If the media uses them enough, then the readers will remember, Chaiyan said.

However, he believes these words are only temporary and will go out of fashion when new events overtake them and new words are invented, he said.

For example, the Chart Thai Party is dubbed "Pla Lhai" (or 'eel') as it has a reputation of being a slippery political party. If in the next 20 years the eel becomes extinct - then a new word will have to be created, he said.

Jintana Panyaarvudh,

 Budsarakham Sinlapalavan

 The Nation