‘Troll’ party aims to bring pirate model to Thai politics as a new alternative

[webfact]

‘Troll’ party aims to bring pirate model to Thai politics as a new alternative

By WASAMON AUDJARINT 
THE NATION

 

 

ONCE KNOWN as a social activist, who focused on searching for missing persons, Sombat Boongamanong became a political actor after the 2006 military coup when he wore red to express his political opinion. He manages to draw public attention with his political gimmicks.

 

“I consider myself an actor,” Sombat told The Nation in a colourful room of the Mirror Foundation of which he was once the chairman. “People don’t like seriousness. They like fun. If you want them to listen to you, be funny.”

 

 

Targeting all parties

 

Sombat is stepping up his role in politics with plans to form an alternative Grean Party, whose rough translation in Thai is “troll”. That, Sombat said, is exactly what his planned party aims to do.

 

“We’re going to troll every party out there. Whatever policies they will present, we will tease them, triggering more creative debates on social issues,” said Sombat, who is also widely known as Bor Kor Lai Jood or “Dotty Editor”, dubbed after the 101 Dalmatians movie from years ago.

 

From Sombat wearing a dotty doggie hat to the election to playing an RoV online game with Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit, people may not be able to comprehend how the Grean Party could emerge as an alternative party in the next election.

 

Who would imagine that a busty net idol, Rungtawan Chaiha, would not only join Sombat’s team in smashing Thanathorn in an online game but also be of political interest to Sombat?

 

“Why not? She can encourage a great deal of public interest in e-Sport, a significant part of modern technology,” Sombat said of Rungtawan, who has attracted over 940,000 followers on her Facebook account.

 

While Rungtawan’s fondness to show off her large cleavage is always controversial, her skill and understanding as an online game administrator is unquestionable.

 

“Those who follow her may or may not be political fans. And my goal is to make politics more touchable, even to those who are apolitical,” Sombat said. “Although I haven’t seriously thought of asking her to be a party member yet.”

 

 

So, does the Grean Party just plan to have fun? No, says Sombat categorically. They follow a pirate party model, which has been long active in European countries but remains new to Thailand.

 

Instead of broad policies that aim to win over voters nationwide, pirate parties focus on less-mainstream social and minority issues. The Grean Party, with its share of NGO advocates and thinkers, should be no different.

 

Currently, the Grean Party is working on a range of issues: from rabies management, eSport, LGBT, arts and culture, reduction of paper work for school teachers to creating online, free encyclopaedia via crowdsourcing methods much like Wikipedia.

 

But people’s needs are far more than that. Mainstream parties would be able to respond to just a dozen of them, mostly the major, national level ones.

 

Focusing on issues of lesser public interest, however, should not be ignored just because they might not get them as many votes as possible.

 

Several mechanisms in the junta-written 2017 charter can be expected to hinder parties in the election battle. This does not mean that the Grean Party would take politics lightly.

 

“Despite how we may look, we’re committed to become the people’s institution. We would like to have one or two MPs in the system. We have the ambition to be around for at least 20 years,” he said.

 

“We don’t want to become so big as to come to power. However, we want to maintain our identity as a party that gathers social think tanks to create and reflect public policies proposed by both us and other political parties,” he added.

 

He dubbed the Grean Party as “issue-based”. The party will bring together members with varied interests and backgrounds before formulating policies and then presenting them to the public.

 

No to populism

 

He made it clear that they would not make policies that “pampered the masses like how most parties do”.

 

“We would open spaces for thinkers of small-scale ideas that are generally ignored by major parties.”

 

While taking on parties with different ideologies may be the least of their concerns – as they plan to “troll” every party from the start – there are still huge challenges for the Grean Party, if it is registered, to hold primary elections in all its contesting constituencies, find sufficient number of members to get such votes, and raise money for its activities.

 

But in this so-called 4.0 era, Sombat said that everything should be more economically possible via online methods and available in the public free space.

 

“After all, we won’t stay in traditions parties have understood to abide by,” he added.

 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30343019

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-04-12

[YetAnother]

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

“People don’t like seriousness. They like fun. If you want them to listen to you, be funny.”

says something very sad about thai politics and the mindsets of the actors within,

and,should he be right, the electorate

[canuckamuck]

Finally, a clown in Thai politics who is self aware.

[yellowboat]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

“We would open spaces for thinkers of small-scale ideas that are generally ignored by major parties.”

The only substantive thing he said, but no examples were given as usual.  It is just so much more fun to be mysteriously vague and parade a chesty cohort around than to show how his party's idea might help.  Mind you if they did nothing at all but flash some cleavage and tell a few jokes, that would be a vast improvement to failed bike lanes, restrictions on free speech and beach chairs. 

[mikebell]

Is 'Grean' a deliberate misspelling?  

[metisdead]

Offensive posts and the replies have been removed. 

[DoctorG]

Political satire and "fringe" parties are a staple of Western democracies. Not sure that they will go over well in Thailand though. I guess the first obstacle is to not get arrested.

[worgeordie]

All these fringe parties will be getting financial help from the taxpayer,

to run in the election(if /whenever) it is held,a waste of money or democracy ?

regards worgeordie

[Emster23]

“People don’t like seriousness. They like fun. If you want them to listen to you, be funny.” With all respect due, that was big part of Trump's attraction, so why not Thailand?

"It's a fine line between clever and stupid" to quote line from Spinal Tap

[JOC]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

‘Troll’ party aims to bring pirate model to Thai politics

Finally a party to represent all Thaivisa posters accused of trolling.....

[Anak Nakal]

Good to laugh at Thai politicians.

When have arrogance, laugh is best reply!

[Srikcir]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“We would open spaces for thinkers of small-scale ideas that are generally ignored by major parties.”

The junta already does that with attitude adjustment meetings at its military bases, meals and interrogation included.
PS: As Prayut has declared himself a politician and not a soldier, as Chief of the NCPO and PM he essentially represents a political party. 

[Srikcir]

The Thailand Communist Party was refused registration because its ideology was in "conflict with Thailand’s current political system of constitutional monarchy." Even though the country had rescinded a law banning communism.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/politics/30341353

Compare TCP to Sombat's Green Party that essentially has no ideology other than a mission to provide comic relief. Therefore, the EC should reject Green Party registration to be consistent with its rules (however unwritten and interpretive). Furthermore (if one were to continue with the absurdity of new EC rules and laws), entertainment is banned from political rallies. The whole of the Green party is structured as comic entertainment - another reason for rejecting registration.

 

The reality of a truly open and free democratic election, however, is no limitation for registration of any party for reason of ideology or lack thereof. It's for the electorate to decide.

 

[baboon]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“People don’t like seriousness. They like fun. If you want them to listen to you, be funny.”

Or point a gun in their face. You can ensure their undivided attention that way too...

[Ulic]

Love it, the Thai equivalent if the Rino party. Hopefully, he gets plenty of press coverage. 

[zzidenn]

It’s a good thing

[timmyp]

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Is 'Grean' a deliberate misspelling?  

 

It is a transliteration of the Thai เกรียน, which can mean "troll" 

I would transliterate it as "krian" but you could write it grian or grean, I suppose (though "krian" is really closer to the IPA). 

 

Here's a link to an online dictionary. Meaning #2. 

http://www.thai-language.com/id/148439

 

[jonstarjon]

It will be amusing that the only person in Thai politics who thinks he is taking the Micky ends up being the only person in Thai politics that can be taken seriously. Ironic!

[DrTuner]

Finally, I can recommend someone for my wife to vote. Should be entertaining at least, all of them are completely useless so no harm done.

[khunken]

I wonder if Sombat has borrowed a few things from the Monster Raving Loony Party in the UK?

 

If so he should ask Lord Buckethead how he got 249 votes in Theresa May's constituancy.

[maxcorrigan]

He should change his name from Sombat to Dingbat might be more apt!

 

[GarryP]

Thai equivalent of the Monster Raving Loony  Party and its leader is the Thai Screaming Lord Sutch. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by GarryP

[katana]

9 hours ago, mikebell said:

Is 'Grean' a deliberate misspelling?  

Not a misspelling. It's a transliteration of the Thai word GREE-UN (to troll). I guess it's also a play on words too since it also sounds like it might be a Thai version of the familiar Western Green party,  traditionally focussed on environmental issues.

Edited April 12, 2018 by katana