Set election date at once
The three years of excuses for delaying a free and fair election have run out. It is no longer credible that Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha can claim technical or parliamentary procedures remain in the way. While his all-powerful National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) harshly enforces a ban on political activity, the prime minister himself is seen to be openly canvassing support for his own campaign. The public needs and deserves an election date and an end to restrictions on freedom of speech and public gatherings.
Two events last week showed the unfairness and lack of justice in current martial-type law. The prime minister himself went to flood-threatened Phetchaburi province. He met with residents, heard their complaints and, most of all, revelled in their praise. In short, he looked exactly like any politician in Thai history campaigning for an election.
Meanwhile, the NCPO issued a special reminder to Suthep Thaugsuban and his new organisation and political party, the Ruamphalang Prachachartthai Party or Action Coalition for Thailand (ACT). Mr Suthep, who has a deep base of grassroots supporters in Bangkok and in the South, had planned to travel and meet the public. This appeared to be a very similar action to that of the prime minister, in Phetchaburi and many other provinces. But the junta’s secretary-general and army chief Chalermchai Sitthisad stepped in harshly to warn Mr Suthep to refrain from any attempt to meet the public.
This appearance of unfairness is rightly a matter of public concern. Originally, Gen Prayut and the junta members promised an end to the bans on basic civil rights by June. Two months later, and the NCPO is going out of its way to keep the restrictions on. In addition to being unconstitutional, these prohibitions are preventing political parties from making the legal changes they need simply to participate in any election that might eventually be held.
Gen Prayut continues to claim that he has a political roadmap, and when he reaches the end of that road, he will call an election. On April 1, he promised that would be “no later than February 2019, do I make myself clear?”. But last month he altered that, promising a vote “according to my schedule ... in early 2019”. These are not the same statement. They are simply the latest example of Gen Prayut’s serial wavering and false promises of an election that he has made virtually since taking over government at gunpoint in May of 2014.
The prime minister now holds an unenviable record. No dictator, appointee or elected prime minister has gone as long as Gen Prayut — four years and 85 days — without setting and living up to an election date. Indeed, all his excuses have run out. There is no political violence. The constitution that he wanted is up and running. All major bodies required by law to hold and supervise both local national polls are functioning. Gen Prayut himself said that a new brouhaha would not delay the a general election. That is a silly dispute over whether the lame duck Election Commission or the new, incoming Election Commission should appoint monitors.
Gen Prayut may have had the outline of an “election roadmap” when he first began, several years ago, his planning of how to extend his power legally through voting. It is clear, however, that there is no such formal document. It is a growing public suspicion that an election date will be set only when he believes the pro-military Phalang Pracharat Party will prevail.
Gen Prayut now is skirting very close to the line where Thais and foreign friends will describe any future election as neither fair nor free. That will not simply be a black mark on the country. It will set him against his own people, a dangerous and divisive course he can prevent by naming an election date now.
No dictator, appointee or elected prime minister has gone as long as Gen Prayut — four years and 85 days.