How much is your democracy?

Everyday I read a report stating that the PAD is an organisation against democracy.

This makes all Westerners gasp loudly in horror. Against DEMOCRACY! How dare they!

To be against democracy is the modern day equivalent of denying god in the 13th century.

Thailand does have a democracy, but there is one major fly in the curry. The Thai democratic system is rife with ‘vote buying’.

Vote buying, or ‘vote fraud’ as it’s known in most other working democracies, is illegal in Thailand, but is still widely practiced. The public perception of it is that it is not viewed as so morally wrong, especially in the poorer areas of Thailand.

"But that’s disgraceful", I hear you cry! "A democratic system should be brilliant white, shiny, and clean, you can’t have any dirty vote buying spoiling the view!". But it's not that straight forward.

It is already illegal; a law was just passed in October 2007 to try to clamp down on it (making it punishable for the first time to receive money for votes. Previously, only those who paid money could be prosecuted).

One of the problems in stamping out vote buying is you need a person willing to risk their neck (i.e. a snitch), and that isn’t gonna happen 9 times out of 10. Why? Because the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

Firstly, political murders are not that uncommon in Thailand, and secondly, vote buying could be the answer to many of your problems, depending on your circumstances, and where you live.

To understand, you need to look at how the Thai people live in the remotest parts of Thailand.

Local and national politics there remain driven by feudal social structures. Parties and their accompanying ideologies are of little importance, in contrast to our own system.

The things that motivate rural Thai’s are religion, family ties, group allegiances, and the respect and support of those that can supply financial investment and security (i.e. money).

Say you are a normal Thai person living in a normal village somewhere in the North of Thailand. You don’t have much money, or influence, but you belong to the village group.

A political canvessor turns up a few months before elections, and offers to build new roads, new schools, and pay for bus fares for a year.

This is obviously going to have an immediate impact on you, and your neighbour’s lives.

If the head of the village decides to accept such a gift, then that’s pretty much it. The whole village will normally go along with it, so Yippee, new roads!

Such promises and gifts in Thai society are binding; a cash payment or gift has an extra value beyond the supposed value. Such a gift will be given in exchange for the complete loyalty of the village.

As a member of the village, it is very difficult for you to object or not participate, you may be risking more than just your pride; you could ostracise yourself, and your family from those around you. So why bother? After all, you’re getting new roads!

Acting alone as a rural Thai is not big and it’s not clever, especially if your superiors are telling you to all pull together. You therefore have a situation where large numbers of votes are being decided by very few.

The way vote buying has influenced the system is the main reason why the PAD say stupid stuff like; ‘those in the remotest parts of Thailand are uneducated’. They don’t mean that they are stupid, they mean the system that is being imposed is primitive.

And remember, vote buying is still illegal.

Its existence within a democratic system cheapens the system; changing the playing field drastically. It opens the doors to the rich, and ignores those that want to create real change.

Is it any coincidence that Thaksin’s strongholds are in the poorest parts of Thailand?

Is it a bad thing? Well yes it is, if you are isolating yourself from all the professional people in the country. They can quite ably see that these elections are being bought.

I have no right to say whether vote buying is right or wrong, After all, if vote buying is improving the lives of many in the poorest parts of Thailand, then who am I to argue? These are issues for the Thai’s, and they will be dealt with by the Thai’s.

Just don’t be too hasty to pass judgement on the PAD when the Western media states they are against democracy, because, Thailand's democracy works differently to ours.

Comments

[Pete, FrogBlogger]

On the other hand, as a student mentioned to me last night, it's very easy to assume the high moral PAD ground and accuse the poor and uneducated of succumbing to vote-buying, when you yourself are part of that middle-class 'elite' who a) can happily survive without the few hundred baht in question, and b) it's clearly in your interests, and that of the social group you belong to, that the poor remain poor (and uneducated), for the historically proven advantages (anywhere in the world) to said elite - ie cheap labour, easily manipulated, and under the thumb.

Offset the 'corruption' of vote-buying amongst the poor, and that taking place in Thai society at large and amongst the more privileged classes, and I know who I would find more 'guilty'!

[Pete, FrogBlogger]

PS Good analysis by the way, liked the blog, and there's a lot of truth in what you say with respect to the social mechanics at play.

One other thing - what PAD seem to be forgetting in all this is that the much-hated Thaksin (irrespective of his motives) actually introduced policies that directly benefited the poor. Vote-buying or not, people tend to vote for those (apparently) looking after their interests. PAD and those behind them, no matter how successful they are this time around, are going to have a devil of a job putting this particular genie back in the bottle...

[The Thai Pirate]

Absolutely - I can quite understand why people go along with vote buying especially when they are direct beneficiaries (surely that's the point of democracy?). I think what needs to change is the overall acceptance of vote buying. Political parties should have the substance to generate real policies in order to attract and benefit those that are worse off, and then remain accountable to their promises. Thanks a lot for contributing Pete, it's a pretty daunting topic. Ben

[Lloyd]

A very fair analysis of the status in the North however I dont see how this is any different to any other rural community in any other country.

What you have not mentioned is that vote "buying" is greater in parts of the country where people and businesses have more to loose as it is the large corporations that have the money and influence to change the way people think and act, espically if their job is at stake.

Most of the large corporations in Bangkok have HR staff and representitives that "propogate" company policy to the staff. This policy also includes how the company will be effected if "such and such" gets into power, I wont go as far as saying they tell their staff how to vote but I know for sure they make it very clear who will be effected most if the company is no longer able to do as it pleases, especially where cheap labor and poor working conditions are effected.

From what I have seen the majority of PAd supporters are just such people, representatives of the businesses and "elite" who are being effected, the PAD policies offer the most to those with money and power, the protesters seem to believe it is these people who are best looking after their fututre and will silence anyone who believes differently, no different to the rural village.

Personally I believe PAD should be listed as a Terrorist organisation, what they have done by taking control of the main international airports is hold people to ransom in an act of violence that has little difference to taking people hostage to obtain whatever it is they want.

[Camille]

Just keep in mind that PAD is NOT a political party.

[Fabletoo]

I work in an international company with highly educated co-workers (graduates of Chula and Thammasat and universities overseas). Out of a group of 70 who used to support the PAD, only 2 now still support them. Why? Because they see the PAD being worse for Thailand, Thai democracy and the Thai economy than is the vote buying.

After all, as Pete said, Thaksin did actually introduce programs for the poor, so, yes, he may have been vote buying but at least they got something for it. With the PAD, the poor will get nothing, except more control from the rich and powerful and even less of a democracy (the PAD's idea is to have 30% of elected officials decided by the people and 70% by those in power. Does that sound like a democracy to you? Or anything that will benefit the average Thai? In this instance, vote buying might not be so bad!

[The Thai Pirate]

Thank you for all the comments. By writing about vote buying I am just trying to let readers back home know that it goes on, and that our models of democracy (UK and Thailand) are run in different ways. I think with all your comments added, people will get a well rounded view.

I am not suggesting at all that people should support the PAD, rather, I just want to illustrate why these problems may be occuring. It's very interesting viewing all of your blogs, and I'm sure, like me, we are all left feeling very sad at how such genuinely lovely people can be so divided.

Any acts of violence perpetrated because of politics horrify me. If I could do anything personally to help them solve these problems I would. Lets just hope that the Thai's can work through their differences without aggression. I feel very strongly that people in power have an obligation to be honest and set examples, and should be held accountable for their actions. Many thanks, Ben