M.L. Nattakorn Devakula on fostering
the growth of Thailand's political parties
By Jon Fernquest |
In his weekly commentary in the Bangkok Post M.L. Nattakorn Devakula looks at the move by the recently elected PPP party to revise the constitution so that the party cannot be dissolved.
Nattakorn provides an overview of political parties in Thailand and asserts that only the communist party and parties that are fronts for the military should be dissolved in this day and age.
If you find this commentary interesting, you'll want to follow up your reading with Thai Political Parties in the Age of Reform.
This timely book by Chulalongkorn University professor of political science Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee was published right after the coup. When I passed by the Chulalongkorn bookstore recently it was positioned high up among the bestsellers.
The book examines the changing role of political parties in Thailand including their their organizations, leadership, platform, ideology and funding.
(See photo on right of the unelected NLA, from which the current constitution originated, in session during the post-coup period last year)
Here is M.L Nattakorn's commentary in full:
ANCHORMAN
Party dissolution is never the answer
ML NATTAKORN DEVAKULA
Thursday April 03, 2008
The constitution must be amended to prevent the dissolution of political parties. If we are ever to live as a "free" people, our right to be represented by a political party of our own choosing cannot be infringed upon.
Only two types of political parties are ever meant to be dissolved: a party oriented with communist ideology, and a party intentionally founded by military officers to counter those of regular politicians. The rest should be allowed to grow into institutions.
Some parties in Thailand are mission-oriented and formed for a particular purpose. These parties normally do not last very long. You could put on this list the Samakki Tham party, or even in this past election the Puea Pandin party or Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party.
Some political parties revolved around personalities and were able to function so long as these personalities remained the focal point. This would include Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh's New Aspiration party or Chalerm Yubamrung's Muan Chon party.
Then there is the extreme case of Matchimathipataya party, which needs no further explanation.
But in the evolution of the idea of the political party in the kingdom, we have seen progress. Progress is made not instantaneously but over time.
Take the Democrat party, for instance. It has undergone changes over a span of 62 years, through four different eras (the fourth one being the present), with seven leaders.
The party that has a total membership of approximately 2,845,117 people and 195 branch offices (26 in Bangkok, 46 in the Central provinces, 37 in the North, 35 in the Northeast, and 51 in the South), has had leaders from various backgrounds. Among the seven, we have seen a blueblood, a colonel, a lawyer, currently a pure-politician and, perhaps in the future, a former investment banker. The Democrat party of Thailand was not an institution from day one; it developed into one over time.
The Chart Thai party is the perfect example of how a party can alter in appearance and structure over time, grow and change, to become more than just a family empire.
Though not a national power house yet, it is now becoming an institution after having gone through the influences of several family names.
Chart Thai has undergone many reformations from the 1974 founding days of Pol Gen Pramarn Adireksarn, to Admiral Somboon Rahong, to Gen Chatichai Choonhavan, and to current leader Banharn Silpa-archa.
This 35-year-old party, which now has 14 branches nationwide, also seeks to move towards becoming a more nationally significant institution as it goes through another transitory phase.
Though heavy criticism has been levelled at the People Power party (PPP) for being a party fully controlled by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, those who understand inside politics are aware that even the PPP is becoming more of an institution by the day. Not that the PPP is not still financially backed by only several individuals, but it is certainly the case that the financiers of the competing factions within this governing party do not necessarily control the total direction of the party. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej has more independence from former PM Thaksin than most are aware of. While the camps under Mr Chalerm, Newin Chidchob and other cliques vie for greater influence, direct-lines like Noppadon Pattama and Jakrapob Penkair also have a level playing field in this battle.
Meanwhile, policy has been largely determined by intellectual and marketing types like Pansak Vinyaratna and Mingkwan Sangsuwan, while the execution of policies is carried out by new ministers, as is newly represented by the class of Santi Prompat, Chaiya Sasomsab and a host of others. In effect, the dream of seeing Thai Rak Thai party (TRT) not entirely manipulated by one man with all the say has accidentally transformed into reality.
Just as it took time for the Democrat party to become an institution, it was also going to take a lot of time for the party founded by a telecommunications tycoon to develop into an institution.
The TRT's dissolution interrupted that transition, but it is still on course to taking root. A legal conviction against Mr Thaksin down the road may actually be the final catalyst in catapulting the PPP into a political institution, where funding will finally come - on an equal sharing basis - from all the factions' members.
Dissolving political parties has never been the answer to Thailand's prayers. We are a country where most politically relevant entities that end up taking shape revolve around few pro-active individuals. From non-governmental organisations to television channels to newspapers, this is normally the case. Yet developmental progress can be made over long intervals to foster the constructive momentum for institution-building.
A suspension of this development process, or in the transition period, from personality cult to viable and enduring politically-active and ideologically-determined political institution is a crime. It may have taken 10 or 20 years for TRT to transform into such, but it would have. It could take 5 or 10 years for PPP to transform into such, but it could.
Parties are not meant to be dissolved because they are the only institutions that represent people of all backgrounds, especially those folks living in rural underdeveloped villages who have no access to policy creation.
The enfeebled 14 million members formerly of TRT may seem just numbers to anti-politician crusaders. But what about the 2,727,611 registered members of Chart Thai, the 2,845,117 Democrat members, or the currently small but gradually increasing membership of the PPP? Are we supposed to regard these as insignificant, too?
How far will the legal community of this nation go to prove that Thailand is supposed to be run by politicians but that political parties cannot be allowed to grow?
If the transition is going to be made from personality cult or personal fiefdom to political parties acting as an institution in representing the interests of the masses, the constitution - organic laws on political parties and elections - cannot be framed to lock the Election Commission into dissolving parties when a minor offence is committed.
The drafters of such laws should be ashamed of themselves for the heinous act, which will in the coming weeks debilitate our democracy.
Where is the sense in holding all members of a political party responsible when a misdemeanour is committed by one member of the executive board of that party without the board's approval? This part of the law was drafted to prevent the growth of the political party system in the kingdom.
I never saw the Republican Party in the United States be put up for dissolution when their representative Richard M Nixon, as president, was exposed for wiretapping the campaign headquarters of an opposing political candidate.
I wonder whether we would have ever seen political institutions in the US form, if their Supreme Court kept dissolving political parties whenever there was an individual offence.
As the country moves further into deadlock, it is indeed time to question the appropriateness and practicality of Thailand's transformation into an overly litigious society.
The practical realities of living in a litigious society becomes burdensome and damaging to development overall.
Having constitutional organic laws that are excessively stringent with regard to the freedom of politicians and policy-makers does not help. Making matters worse is the application of these laws with an overly sceptical attitude in regulating any and all actions of political parties.
It is ironic and unfortunate that for a society that seems to always ask for ideologically pure politicians and strong political institutions, we Thai people find ourselves on the receiving end of the interception of the very evolutionary precursors required for such establishment.
The dream of the litigious person to see politicians become powerless by the dissolution of all but one political party will - mark my words - facilitate in the creation of an even worse nightmare, where all parties become mere nominal representatives of their predecessors. This is why in a democracy they let the politicians run the asylum and not lawyers or judges.
The writer is a news analyst.
(Source: Bangkok Post, op-ed section, 03-04-08, ML NATTAKORN DEVAKULA, page 9, temp-link)
Vocabulary:
political party - a political organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns (See Wikipedia)
dissolve (verb) - officially end and break up
dissolution - the act of officially ending and breaking up
party dissolution, dissolution of political parties - the official ending and breaking up of a political party
a front for - acting for and representing someone who cannot be seen, because they have a bad reputation, like the military
constitution must be amended - constitution must be changed
infringe upon a right - violate or interfere with a right or freedom that people have
a mission - long-term goals, usually included in a company's mission statement
accomplish a mission - achieve long-term goals (of your mission)
Y-oriented - mainly concerned with Y (for example, a profit-oriented organisation is mainly concerned about making a profit)
mission-oriented - mainly concerned with fulfilling its mission
a particular purpose - one specific purpose, not any purpose
X revolved around Y - Y is the main emphasis or focus of activity X (See glossary)
personalities - well-known people (whose lives are publicly known and followed)
progress - over time improving and moving to a more advanced and desirable state
a blueblood - a member of royalty
an investment bank - a special bank that helps companies and governments raise money by issuing and selling securities in the capital markets (both equity and debt), as well as providing advice on transactions such as mergers and acquisitions (See Wikipedia on investment banking)
an investment banker - a person who works for an investment bank, typically very well paid
a reformation - an act of changing and improving something
undergone many reformations - has been changed and improved several times
criticism has been levelled at Y - Y has been criticised
camps - a group of people who all support the same thing (person, idea, cause, policy), more than one opposing or competing camps
cliques - small closed groups of friends who help each other
vie for - compete for
greater influence - reach a state where they can determine policy and laws and are more powerful
a level playing field - where everyone competing has the same advantage
manipulated - be skillfully persuaded or forced to do what someone wants
transition - the process of changing from one state to another
catalyst - something that causes change
catapulting - changing something suddenly and violently
a faction - a sub-group within a larger group, that is fighting with other sub-groups
pro-active - anticipating and meeting needs early before they become problems, acting instead of reacting
foster - help grow
foster the constructive momentum for institution-building -
a personality cult - when people worship one person as if they were a god
viable - capable of succeeding, for example a viable project (See glossary)
enduring - has lasted for a long time
enfeebled - made weak
crusaders - people fighting for some idea or cause
a personal fiefdom - running your organisation as if it was your kingdom
representing the interests of the masses -
organic laws on political parties and elections -
a heinous act - extremely evil and horrible (like a son killing his father)
debilitate X - gradually make weaker
exposed - have some bad fact about you revealed and made public
wiretapping - monitoring of telephone and internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means (See Wikipedia on telephone tapping)
deadlock - when no agreement can be reached in a dispute, because neither side will compromise
compromise - give up something to reach an agreement (See glossary)
litigious society - a society in which people like to sue each other and bring legal cases against each other (the US has been called this)
burdensome - creates problems continually
stringent - strict, severe, rigorous (stringent laws, stringent rules)
sceptical - tending not to believe what you see and hear
precursors - those that came before
evolve - slowly improve and change into a more advanced form
evolutionary precursors - things that came before while the system was slowly changing into its present form
an asylum - a hospital for insane people
the inmates run the asylum - the insane people who being treated in the hospital are actually running the hospital (kind of crazy)
