Democrats need to reach out further

Ironically, the most sensible advice, so or it seems, given to Democrat Party Leader Abhisit Vejjajiva came from his former political enemy Newin Chidchob. Newin told Abhisit one brutal truth: "If you were to dish out Bt100 billion to Isaan, pretty soon the Isaan people would forget Thaksin [Shinawatra]." Then the politicians proceeded to hug and shake hands to form an unlikely alliance, which is meant to put the Thaksin political empire to an end.

While even now nobody can be sure whether Abhisit will become the 27th prime minister of Thailand, we suggest that the 44-year-old politician listen to this advice seriously, with some added perspectives, of course.

Even though Newin apparently has an ulterior motive - by defecting from Thaksin he risks alienating North-eastern voters - he is advising Abhisit to do something that past leaders, his ex-boss included, have never done: end the regionalism of Thai politics.

The Democrats were close to forming a coalition government before, but failed to collect the majority vote. Thus, the party was sidelined and had to settle in the opposition bloc, a failure that owes much to it being perceived as a "regional" party. The Democrat Party may have enjoyed the monopoly control of the southern region while having an on-and-off strong appeal in Bangkok, but it always failed to win the hearts of those in the North and Northeast, whose enormous numbers usually determine who runs the country.

Thaksin on the other hand, took the importance of the North and Northeast to the extreme. When he was exposed as a corrupt leader, the other regions were up in arms. 'You stole from us and used taxpayers' money to pamper your constituents,' the other parts of Thailand cried. And it didn't help when Thaksin, in one of his most notorious statements as a democratically elected leader, said unequivocally that his government would serve provinces that elected his MPs first.

Regionalism played a part in dividing Thailand. It has made political parties become entrenched in their comfort zones and even, in Thaksin's case, to treat other parts of the country as hostile areas. The Democrat Party itself has not made serious efforts to expand its popular base beyond its traditional support in the South. Part of that might be attributed to the fact that the party has been in opposition, but still the Democrat Party should have shown more leadership in winning the hearts and minds of people from different regions.

Make no mistake, if Newin was asking the new government to go all out with populist policies, his advice should be discarded. Using taxpayers' money to score short-term political votes has negative results as we have learned. Also, any policy that encourages people to accumulate high debts while waiting for a debt moratorium from the government is simply a dangerous political tactic. These bad-quality populist policies are not sustainable in the long term. Besides, they instil the wrong perception and wreck the people's incentive to improve their capacity to stand on their own.

But if Newin meant "reach out", then he must be listened to seriously. The Democrats must leave their comfort zone and listen to what people in other parts of the country want and feel. And this should apply to politicians on the other side as well. Local politicians should be closer to their constituents to learn what each community needs, based on the unique characteristics of each. Politicians should also help empower local voters to ensure that their voices are heard. For instance, not all farmers felt good about the populist policies, but there are quite a number of them who have managed to flourish through the moderate and mixed farming policy. Alternative energy and green technology has also been widely applied in many areas under the auspices of the royal projects.

Simply put, Thai politicians must stop shying away from the constituents that didn't vote for them, an attitude that has further divided political affiliations. The best way to bridge the deep political polarisation is to show that the party or the government is for all the people. Whoever becomes the new prime minister, he will have to lead both the constituencies that voted for him and those that didn't.

Even with Abhisit's premiership still uncertain, his rise to the premiership is already under scrutiny. Some have suggested that his Ivy League background may cause him to lose touch with the grassroots voters. The Democrat Party has been seen as the party for the middle class in Bangkok. But no party will be successful politically unless it can win the majority of Thais voters, who live mostly in the rural areas.

These are the challenges that the Democrat Party will have to face if it wishes to grow further. Even if Abhisit is lucky enough to form the coalition, the party will not be successful in the new election if it cannot abandon its image of being a regional party. Of course, some voters cast their ballots because they were bought. But not all voters choose their politicians for that reason, and the claims that one party didn't win in a particular region because it couldn't match its enemy's financial resources will only make our country go so far. Democrats, if they want to make this windfall really count for them and the country, have to do one thing - take Newin's advice and do it for good reasons.