Scepticism rules over February poll date

[webfact]

Scepticism rules over February poll date

By WASAMON AUDJARINT, WICHIT CHAITRONG, KHANITTHA THEPPAJORN

THE NATION

 

Prayut casts vote in 2016 constitution draft referendum

 

PRAWIT DENIES ANY FUTURE DELAY BUT EC VACANCIES, ORGANIC LAWS RAISE DOUBTS
 

UNCERTAIN THAT Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s promise of an election by February of next year will be kept, critics said yesterday they remained hopeful it would be the last delay for the frequently postponed poll.

 

Prayut’s assurance on Tuesday was the fourth such promise since his government came to power in 2014.

 

His deputy and Defence Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, meanwhile, held firm that there would not be further delays.

 

“Authorities will take care of the situation. The election will certainly come. I don’t see why they [activists] would have to hold assemblies to call for an election,” Prawit said yesterday.

 

Anon Nampa, a key activist in the Democracy Restoration Group, said Prayut’s promise would not stop the group from demanding an election this year, as they had lost faith in him. 

 

“We won’t take Prayut’s words seriously. It’s still unclear if an election will be held. For us, it will be clear only when the election date is announced in a royal decree,” he said.

 

Key Pheu Thai Party member Phongthep Thepkanjana was also not convinced yesterday by the premier’s promise, saying he would adhere only to the timeline stipulated in the Constitution.

 

While current legal mechanisms allow an election between September and next February, Phongthep said he believed an election should be organised this year so relevant procedures could be finished by February.

 

“The key is that the National Council for Peace and Order should not try to overpower or obstruct the charter’s stipulations,” he said. 

 

Democrat Party deputy leader Ong-art Klampaiboon was also cautious about Prayut’s most recent promise. 

 

“If Prayut is determined to hold an election, it should be his last promise. The junta-appointed bodies should also manage to strictly follow this latest road map,” he said. “Our party is ready to go by this road map to election.”

 

Chulalongkorn University political lecturer Siripan Nogsuan Sawasdee said she believed there was still not a guarantee about the road map as long as the remaining organic law drafts remained unfinished and the new election commissioners had not been selected.

 

“Judging from the circumstances of Prayut’s previous promises, this promise could be made to lessen political pressure rather than to seriously set a date for an election,” she said.

 

Stanley Kang, chairman of the Foreign Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand, said he was not surprised the general election could not take place this year. 

 

“It is in line with our previous expectations that an election would be held in the first quarter next year,” Kang said.

 

He added that the foreign investor community still believed that a general election would happen after the organic laws passed the National Legislative Assembly. 

 

“What we are concerned about is the slow pace of deregulation, government efficiency, the slow implementation of e-government and red tape for work-permit procedures,” he said. 

 

The European Union, which has resumed political contacts with Thailand partly because of Prayut’s earlier promise of an election this November, reiterated the importance attached to the premier’s earlier stance.

 

“The EU position was expressed by the foreign ministers of all EU member states at their meeting in December 2017. Together, they reaffirmed the importance the EU attaches to relations with Thailand and welcomed the October 2017 statement by the prime minister on election timelines,” reads a statement from the EU delegation to Thailand. 

 

“They [EU foreign ministers] also reiterated that the EU will continue to follow the situation in Thailand closely as a basis for our policy, with particular emphasis on the lifting of restrictions on political activities and freedom of assembly, the holding of credible and inclusive elections, and the installation of a democratically elected civilian government,” it added.

 

The United States Embassy in Bangkok yesterday also reiterated that it looked forward to Thailand’s return to a democratic government via free and fair elections as soon as possible. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30339906

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-03-01

[YetAnother]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

I don’t see why they [activists] would have to hold assemblies to call for an election,” Prawit said

great example of an arrogant (incl corrupt,inept) military general's mindset; complete intolerance (indeed , lack of understanding) of anything deemed questioning or critical or opposing

[Soi Dog]

I heard that somebody asked Prawit when we would have elections and he said "Not on my watch."

[AGareth2]

3 minutes ago, Soi Dog said:

I heard that somebody asked Prawit when we would have elections and he said "Not on my watch."

he is on borrowed time

[RichardColeman]

More chance of the story a Thai girl gives you about being a rich millionaire virgin in soi 6 being true ! 

[Happyman58]

elections feb 2018 ok   sorry i miss typed  2028 oops there is that pig again everytime they mention when elections will be held

[connda]

Push that date back one more time and Prayut will have placed the final straw on the camel's back.  It won't just be university students.  It will be the international community that will begin to become involved.  They'll end up with a colorless 'color revolution' on their hands - again.  Kudos to the military for stabilizing the country.  But if they chose to remain in power indefinitely, that will be the catalyst of the next round of destabilization which will be of their own making.  Especially if they revisit the repression of 1973.  My guess is that if the military uses force on the population again, the South, North, and Northeast will fracture and it will be 'game on.'
With Prawit being the poster boy exemplifying that the junta-base government is no less corrupt than any other segment of Thai society, even previous supporters of the regime are starting to question their moral authority to lead the country any longer.  So I believe this is the last round of finding excuses to push back election dates while attempting to stack the deck, politically, in their own favor.  If they end up with partisan outrage and violence, it of their own making.  Maintaining stability requires free elections with unhampered political parties.  If they don't like the will of the people after the election, and grab the reins of power by force yet again, then in the eyes of the world they'll simply become other developing world dictatorship. 

Edited March 1, 2018 by connda

[BuckBee]

It will be delayed further, no way will it be feb 2019 . Between buck bananas big mouth and broken promise and little achievement and buck swatch the side kick highlighting unexplained wealth, corruption and one sided legal process they have shown little interest in publics interest or the roadmap and have complete contempt for the common people of whom many are way smarter than the clowns running the circus !

It going get worse before change, it always the way in LOS, no one admits fault and they never know when to quit until m79's hit the streets .

[jcsmith]

How many delays have there been already? People have a reason to be skeptical. Because many of us called this when he first seized power. And he's proven us right... time and time again.

[realenglish1]

Folks It's not going to happen in February  "Something"  will come up that has not been "foreseen" delaying the elections again

 

 

When are the Thai people going to learn  This is the 16th coup in their history Not many countries hold this record Not something to be proud of