Political parties still banned from launching election campaign

[webfact]

Political parties still banned from launching election campaign

 

FILE photo

 

BANGKOK, 21st September 2018 (NNT) -- A deputy prime minister in charge of legal affairs has confirmed that political parties are still banned from campaigning for the upcoming election. 

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam on Thursday warned political parties to be careful with all activities they are planning to engage in, after the ban on political activities was recently relaxed. 

Mr. Wissanu’s caution was heard after news reports showed the Action Coalition of Thailand Party of Mr. Suthep Thaugsuban has been inviting the public to help it draft the party’s policies. 

The Deputy Prime Minister said that political parties can launch any PR activities, which are aimed at promoting understanding or sharing information with the public while making sure that they are not intended as an election campaign. 

He added that current ministers can decide to join any political party or accept any future ministerial posts in the next government without having to quit their offices now because no law requires them to do so. 

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

Meanwhile, Vice President of the National Legislative Assembly Surachai Liengboonlertchai on Thursday delivered a special lecture on the roles, the duties and the power of the NLA in steerin the election roadmap forward. 

Mr. Surachai said that the NLA is mainly responsible for enacting 10 organic laws related to the election, including the law on the election of the Members of Parliament, which will come into effect on December 10. 

With this being the case, he confirmed that the general election will take place no later than May 9, 2019.

 

-- nnt 2018-09-21

[assayer]

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

[PatOngo]

Free and fair elections? Something lost in the translation there!

[yellowboat]

41 minutes ago, webfact said:

The Deputy Prime Minister said that political parties can launch any PR activities, which are aimed at promoting understanding or sharing information with the public while making sure that they are not intended as an election campaign. 

The translation is verbal sword play is out, where those who cannot verbally defend their actions, over the last four years, will not be put at a disadvantage.  But it is okay to continue to deny the Thai people of hearing those who might serve their interests best. 

[zzaa09]

28 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

Free and fair elections? Something lost in the translation there!

Where?

Who? 

 

Huh...?

?

[Eligius]

I am sick and tired of hearing about these stupid, ridiculous, made-up and mendacious 'organic laws'. When those particular ones are passed in December, there will magically appear out of the ether a new set of 'organic laws' that need to be considered and which will cause further delay. It's like the idiotic 'road map' - which never gets the country anywhere - except deeper and deeper into Autocrat territory.

[baboon]

1 hour ago, assayer said:

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

The junta chief has no intention of running for election. He wants to be invited back / begged to stay on / call it what you will. No way will he stoop to the sort of campaigning where he may actually have to answer questions or engage in debate.

[Esso49]

1 hour ago, assayer said:

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

That does not count under a section 44 order ?

[Eligius]

1 minute ago, baboon said:

The junta chief has no intention of running for election. He wants to be invited back / begged to stay on / call it what you will. No way will he stoop to the sort of campaigning where he may actually have to answer questions or engage in debate.

He cannot answer questions (intelligently). All he can do - and all he does - is pose idiotic rhetorical questions, such as:

 

'What do you want? Do you want bad men to talk again and destroy Thailand? Do you want people from abroad to cause chaos and confusion? Do you want us, your government, to stop working for you day and night and let the bad men return? Do you want the end of freedom and democracy which we have given you? Do you want the end of Thailand? Your government is here to help everyone, and nothing will stop us helping you. Do you think we want this difficult job? Do you think we like it? Do you think we enjoy all the complaints and criticisms, when we have no power to answer back? Do you want evil people to push out your good, caring government and destroy the wonderful Thai Niyom that you and I have created together? Do you? Do you ....?!'

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, assayer said:

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

Immunity

[holy cow cm]

When campaigns are allowed to go to work, 2 months or less is so little time to get every voter onboard for what is happening. I would rent hot air balloons and grandstand throwing money out over houses making it clearly memorable and hard to forget. Also that would be fun Line a festival. Issan getting Lumyai or someone like that to dance in one of the balloons making it a spectacular while the PM candidate in another. 10 balloons would make a hell of a memory . Forget about debates, no one is allowed to talk eye to eye with fat head. 

[DoctorG]

No campaigning for anyone apart from the incumbents who can swan around the country extolling their own achievements. 

[DoctorG]

Hey! I just turned Platinum. Do I get a prize? ?

[Ossy]

I think 'No comment' is my safest comment here. On second thoughts, maybe I can risk the odd word . . . xxxxing cheats. OK, two odd words. I get the feeling, though, that they're going to regret this continued game-playing. The world knows that Prayuth gave fairly firm assurances (??), early in the year, that the restrictions on activities and meetings by political groups would be lifted in September.

 

But, knowing Prayuth as we do, he'll be sat on his thinking seat - or cludgie, to us northern tribes - and grinning at the prospect of another 9 days of games . . . that's assuming he meant Sep '18, of course.

[holy cow cm]

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

He cannot answer questions (intelligently). All he can do - and all he does - is pose idiotic rhetorical questions, such as:

 

'What do you want? Do you want bad men to talk again and destroy Thailand? Do you want people from abroad to cause chaos and confusion? Do you want us, your government, to stop working for you day and night and let the bad men return? Do you want the end of freedom and democracy which we have given you? Do you want the end of Thailand? Your government is here to help everyone, and nothing will stop us helping you. Do you think we want this difficult job? Do you think we like it? Do you think we enjoy all the complaints and criticisms, when we have no power to answer back? Do you want evil people to push out your good, caring government and destroy the wonderful Thai Niyom that you and I have created together? Do you? Do you ....?!'

If only every political group printed that and gave it to all the voters with his picture on it. If only. All of those statements are absurd.So absurd I was chuckling reading each one. 

[Ossy]

3 hours ago, assayer said:

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

Yes he is, but he's the only one with an Article 44 tucked down his trousers.

[Eligius]

7 minutes ago, holy cow cm said:

If only every political group printed that and gave it to all the voters with his picture on it. If only. All of those statements are absurd.So absurd I was chuckling reading each one. 

Thanks, Holy Cow. In all fairness (although fairness is the last thing Prayut deserves), I was just creating the types of statement he comes out with - not giving actual quotes. But you are right: the guy comes out with such balderdash that it would be good to put it on a leaflet or poster with his face on it. In fact, he has come out with so many intelligence-insulting statements that one could fill a book with them!

[Ossy]

2 hours ago, Eligius said:

He cannot answer questions (intelligently). All he can do - and all he does - is pose idiotic rhetorical questions, such as:

 

'What do you want? Do you want bad men to talk again and destroy Thailand? Do you want people from abroad to cause chaos and confusion? Do you want us, your government, to stop working for you day and night and let the bad men return? Do you want the end of freedom and democracy which we have given you? Do you want the end of Thailand? Your government is here to help everyone, and nothing will stop us helping you. Do you think we want this difficult job? Do you think we like it? Do you think we enjoy all the complaints and criticisms, when we have no power to answer back? Do you want evil people to push out your good, caring government and destroy the wonderful Thai Niyom that you and I have created together? Do you? Do you ....?!'

A good angle, there, Eligius. It defines the man perfectly, the man who, in January, conceded that a cardboard replica could do a better job.

[bluesofa]

2 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

3 hours ago, assayer said:

However, Mr. Wissanu stated that no members of the current cabinet are allowed to run for election. 

Isn't the PM a member of his current cabinet?

Immunity

 

Immunity Immaturity

 

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

Hey! I just turned Platinum. Do I get a prize? ?

Doctor, self diagnosis needed here....farang rarely win in this country.

[Cranky]

Loved the line by Rooster (wish I thought of it) that the General Election will be just that, a General getting elected! 

[holy cow cm]

25 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Thanks, Holy Cow. In all fairness (although fairness is the last thing Prayut deserves), I was just creating the types of statement he comes out with - not giving actual quotes. But you are right: the guy comes out with such balderdash that it would be good to put it on a leaflet or poster with his face on it. In fact, he has come out with so many intelligence-insulting statements that one could fill a book with them!

Seemed like the actual statements. Hopefully he won't borrow them from you. . 

[holy cow cm]

21 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

 

Immunity Immaturity

 

Immunity Immaturity Immorality

[bluesofa]

1 minute ago, holy cow cm said:

Immunity Immaturity Immorality

Prawit: Immodium

 

[Creasy]

All they need to do is to throw the legitimate opposition politicians who are a threat in jail and voila, Cambodia MK2

[Cadbury]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Political parties still banned from launching election campaign

That ban order will stay in place until Prayut announces his candidature for the Junta Party.

In the meantime non-candidate Prayut is free to roam the country under the cloak of PM and electioneer to his heart's content while throwing public money around to his provincial and village votes buying agents. The  laws he has created prevent other political parties from doing exactly what he is doing at present. 

Only at his convenience will he make great announcement and surprise everyone that he is going to run as a candidate in the coming election as leader of the Junta Party, or whatever it might be called.

Once he does that he has to abide by the same rules as he he has laid down for others. In theory he will have to stop using treasury funds for his own campaign but I doubt that will happen and his largesse will continue at taxpayers expense.

And they have the audacity to call this a free and fair election.

[zzaa09]

8 hours ago, Creasy said:

All they need to do is to throw the legitimate opposition politicians who are a threat in jail and voila, Cambodia MK2

Indeed.

Wouldn't be the first time for such novelties. 

The ruling classes have a rich history of nefarious activities. 

Simply have to be knowledgeable to contemporary Thai history, as it repeats itself often. 

 

Many project the ideals that a found revelation has been cornered, and applaud themselves [falsely] - justifying their rather naive insight.

[chama]

12 hours ago, Eligius said:

He cannot answer questions (intelligently). All he can do - and all he does - is pose idiotic rhetorical questions, such as:

 

'What do you want? Do you want bad men to talk again and destroy Thailand? Do you want people from abroad to cause chaos and confusion? Do you want us, your government, to stop working for you day and night and let the bad men return? Do you want the end of freedom and democracy which we have given you? Do you want the end of Thailand? Your government is here to help everyone, and nothing will stop us helping you. Do you think we want this difficult job? Do you think we like it? Do you think we enjoy all the complaints and criticisms, when we have no power to answer back? Do you want evil people to push out your good, caring government and destroy the wonderful Thai Niyom that you and I have created together? Do you? Do you ....?!'

This would be funny if it wasn't something he believes and says. Some could make an argument that the Thais Niyom is a fantasy that is yet to exist and that he is actually one of those bad men he refers to. 

[Odysseus123]

12 hours ago, Eligius said:

I am sick and tired of hearing about these stupid, ridiculous, made-up and mendacious 'organic laws'. When those particular ones are passed in December, there will magically appear out of the ether a new set of 'organic laws' that need to be considered and which will cause further delay. It's like the idiotic 'road map' - which never gets the country anywhere - except deeper and deeper into Autocrat territory.

Organics usually equates to loads and loads of manure..

 

...but without any intention of leaving any field fallow for the foreseeable future.