Vote buying: The engine of corruption in Thailand

[webfact]

 

Vote buying can be a deciding factor in Thai elections at any level – whether for a village head, a local administrator, or a member of Parliament. And the upcoming general election on May 14 is no exception, according to analysts and even politicians themselves.

 

Many Thai election candidates have blamed their defeat on vote buying, while several election wins have been attributed to parties buying votes.

 

Blamed for corruption

 

Vote buying has been blamed for Thailand’s chronic corruption, since many politicians reportedly view it as a high-return investment to secure political power and the chance to “make profits” while in office.

 

Outgoing House Speaker Chuan Leekpai is among political veterans who are warning of rampant vote buying in the run-up to the May 14 election, as parties battle fiercely for votes across the country.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/vote-buying-the-engine-of-corruption-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-05-01

 

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[rwill]

My wife has been offered 1,000 for her vote so far.  That is just from one party.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Vote buying has been blamed for Thailand’s chronic corruption, since many politicians reportedly view it as a high-return investment to secure political power and the chance to “make profits” while in office.

Rotten to the core.

[Joker Man]

What a shame to some of these political parties.?  

[ozz1]

Yes thall parties are offering 100 baht to 200baht at the local rally to anyone who listens to them of course people are going to take it but the bottom line is it doesn't mean they are going to vote for them this is the way it works here

[phetphet]

3 minutes ago, ozz1 said:

Yes thall parties are offering 100 baht to 200baht at the local rally to anyone who listens to them of course people are going to take it but the bottom line is it doesn't mean they are going to vote for them this is the way it works here

They'll all have to go a lot higher to beat PT's 10,000 offer.

[RichardColeman]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

My wife has been offered 1,000 for her vote so far.  That is just from one party.

How much to agree ? What's you buy point ? Mine for the wife is a new car.

[DrDave]

1 hour ago, rwill said:

My wife has been offered 1,000 for her vote so far.  That is just from one party.

What happens if you take the money, but cast your vote for someone else?

[zzaa09]

We're getting pitched every few days, of late, from all parties.

It's a way of life.

[sammieuk1]

3 minutes ago, DrDave said:

What happens if you take the money, but cast your vote for someone else?

They take your id card and cast your vote for you????

[stoner]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Vote buying has been blamed for Thailand’s chronic corruption

i'm sorry but this is fake news. i distinctly remember a number of years back a certain someone saying that corruption would be taken care of in 6 months. 

 

so this simply cannot be true anymore. 

[mikebell]

Vote-buying is much more effective than slow-moving speaking vans booming out messages that no-one can hear whilst bringing traffic to a standstill and costing the country millions in fuel consumption.

[quake]

24 minutes ago, DrDave said:

What happens if you take the money, but cast your vote for someone else?

That is the norm. 

[mrfill]

44 minutes ago, phetphet said:

They'll all have to go a lot higher to beat PT's 10,000 offer.

It is very different to hand out money before the election in order to gain votes than promising voters monetary benefits (whether cash or by way of tax cuts) if said party wins.  One is bribery, the other is usually political bull.

In the case of PTs offer, this is said to be paid to all only after the election, whether or not they voted for the party.

[BangkokReady]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Vote buying has been blamed for Thailand’s chronic corruption, since many politicians reportedly view it as a high-return investment to secure political power and the chance to “make profits” while in office.

Surely it's a sign of the corruption within Thai society?  This is really on the people that take the money, as much as it is on the people giving it.

[keithsimmonds]

 

• EC offers B1 million reward for info on election cheats

  News, Post Reporters, Published on 15/04/2023

  The Election Commission (EC) is offering up to one million baht to anyone who can provide evidence of electoral corruption including vote buying.

[ignore it]

Not the engine of corruption.

 

 It's the grease.

[greeneking]

2 hours ago, BangkokReady said:

Surely it's a sign of the corruption within Thai society?  This is really on the people that take the money, as much as it is on the people giving it.

Would any party take the risk and say, "Vote for us, we will not offer anything for your vote because it is wrong.  And we will govern honestly with no need to get back the money we bribed you with."

[couchpotato]

1 minute ago, greeneking said:

Would any party take the risk and say, "Vote for us, we will not offer anything for your vote because it is wrong.  And we will govern honestly with no need to get back the money we bribed you with."

Nobody would believe them!

[BritManToo]

"Vote buying can be a deciding factor in Thai elections at any level – whether for a village head, a local administrator, or a member of Parliament."

 

I thought guns and tanks was the deciding factor in any Thai government. 

Do they even count the votes?

[connda]

Vote buying now has a new twist: "Vote for our party and we will open up the Thai treasury and give you all your own money, after which you'll be subject to inflation that will decimate most Thai families." 

This should be outlawed, but virtually every party is now doing it, which shows the depths of depravity and corruption intrinsically bound up in politics.  The only "free money" scheme that makes any sense is the 3000 THB / month social safety net for elderly Thais, sort of like social security for those without Thai social security.  That is needed imho, however it should be capped by the net worth and present earning resources of the recipient. 

[jvs]

5 hours ago, DrDave said:

What happens if you take the money, but cast your vote for someone else?

Some people take as much money as they can from more then one party.

Lots of stories about this going around.

A few years ago the election here did not go as planned and the losing

party had a lot of money invested.

That night around 3 am i was woken up by  a lot of gunshots.

Some one drove around the area shooting his AK47 into the air,

[billd766]

7 hours ago, rwill said:

My wife has been offered 1,000 for her vote so far.  That is just from one party.

Lucky her. I don't think my wife has been offered anything, yet.

[Mavideol]

3 hours ago, ignore it said:

Not the engine of corruption.

 

 It's the grease.

agree.... it's the grease that makes the engine run smoothly 555

[onthedarkside]

Off topic post in an attempt to hijack the thread to false claims in the US has been removed. Reply also removed.

[AgMech Cowboy]

6 hours ago, mrfill said:

In the case of PTs offer, this is said to be paid to all only after the election, whether or not they voted for the party.

That is still vote buying, in all forms.

[WilliamSmits]

I do not see that vote buying influences the outcome, it just gets more people to vote, increasing turnout.

Family I have will not vote for someone they do not like just for 2- 3 bottles beer.

[sidneybear]

21 hours ago, phetphet said:

They'll all have to go a lot higher to beat PT's 10,000 offer.

PT has deep pockets. They'll expect payback too, so I hope they get ejected again before they do too much damage. 

[zzaa09]

2 hours ago, sidneybear said:

PT has deep pockets. They'll expect payback too, so I hope they get ejected again before they do too much damage. 

This possible damage scenario shouldn't be overlooked. 

Crooked is as crooked does. 

[ross163103]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:00 PM, Joker Man said:

What a shame to some of these political parties.?  

From all the years I've lived here, not much shame in Thailand........anywhere.