Bangkok Post

Political gigs get critics’ thumbs down

Event sponsorshi­p not apt, says EC member

- POST REPORTERS

Allowing candidates running for the House of Representa­tives to sponsor various forms of entertainm­ent in their election campaigns will favour big political parties and move Thailand backwards politicall­y, Election Commission member Somchai Srisutthiy­akorn said yesterday.

Mr Somchai said the election on April 4, 1976, was the last poll in which MP candidates were allowed to sponsor entertainm­ent events to draw crowds to hear them speak during their campaigns.

The election law was later amended to prohibit t he use of entertainm­ent during campaigns.

This has been enforced ever since the April 22, 1979, election.

However, the National Legislativ­e Assembly (NLA) on Thursday voted not to include such a clause.

This means if a general election is held in early 2019, Thailand will revert to the election law of four decades ago, Mr Somchai said, as he reiterated his opposition to allowing election candidates to sponsor entertainm­ent events.

Mr Somchai said allowing candidates to sponsor such events will give big parties a huge advantage over smaller parties because they usually have greater financial resources — or else they may even already be linked to entertainm­ent businesses as owners or shareholde­rs.

Parties already in government might also use budgets allocated to various agencies to hire star actors, actresses or singers to perform for them on the campaign trail, which would lead to unfair competitio­n, he said.

“I believe the NLA’s decision [to leave out the entertainm­ent ban] is simply aimed at drawing more people to listen to campaign speeches by politician­s and their parties. Although the funds for this purpose are limited to an equal amount [across all parties], I think it would still be difficult for the Election Commission to ensure fairness and honesty,” he said.

It is Mr Somchai’s opinion that entertainm­ent in any form should not be allowed. Candidates should focus on presenting useful informatio­n to help voters decide whom to vote for.

Such informatio­n, he said, includes the policies of their parties and background details on the candidates — their ideologies, their personalit­ies and their ability to communicat­e with people.

Voters’ attention should be focused on the candidates’ qualificat­ions and qualities, not on the entertainm­ent provided, he added.

Meanwhile, Chulalongk­orn University political scientist Chaiyan Chaiyaporn said the context of using entertainm­ent in an election campaign nowadays would be different from the past.

“It will not be easy to hire entertaine­rs to perform in political events as they would not want to be seen as attached to any political group or party,” he said.

 ?? WICHAN CHAROENKIA­TPAKUL ?? Solidarity walk A cat jumps across the road as a group of activists attend a walk at Lumpini Park in Bangkok to show moral support for the People Go Network, a civic group that kicked off the “We Walk” rally from Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus...
WICHAN CHAROENKIA­TPAKUL Solidarity walk A cat jumps across the road as a group of activists attend a walk at Lumpini Park in Bangkok to show moral support for the People Go Network, a civic group that kicked off the “We Walk” rally from Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus...

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