Battle for Bangkok raging between conservative and liberal camps – but result already looks decisive

[webfact]

 

By Thai PBS World’s Political Desk

 

Bangkok’s election battleground will likely be dominated by two pro-democracy parties on May 14 – the long-popular Pheu Thai and its formidable challenger Move Forward.

 

Dr Stithorn Thananithichot, director of Innovation for Democracy at the King Prajadhipok’s Institute, predicts these two parties will take over the city in the upcoming general election.

 

“The conservative camp may go extinct in the capital. But it has a chance in certain constituencies where fierce competition between Pheu Thai and Move Forward candidates [will split the vote].” he said.

 

What the opinion polls say

 

A survey of 39,687 Bangkok voters conducted by Nation Group between April 7 and 12 predicts 14 Bangkok seats for Pheu Thai, 10 for Move Forward, five for the Democrat Party, two for Thai Sang Thai, and just one each for the United Thai Nation Party and Palang Pracharath.

 

Full story: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/battle-for-bangkok-raging-between-conservative-and-liberal-camps-but-result-already-looks-decisive/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2023-05-09

 

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[OneMoreFarang]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

pro-democracy parties

What are pro-democracy parties?

I see a battle between supporters of the fugitive criminal and people who don't want to see Thaksin ever again.

Sure, there are also lots of other criteria, but IMHO Thaksin is the most important issue.

[JonnyF]

7 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What are pro-democracy parties?

IMO, any parties that are not run by Generals in suits.

 

You might not like them, they might not be perfect - but they are democratically elected. They don't steal power through the barrel of a gun. 

[OneMoreFarang]

4 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

IMO, any parties that are not run by Generals in suits.

 

You might not like them, they might not be perfect - but they are democratically elected. They don't steal power through the barrel of a gun. 

Some give and/or promise the people money when they vote for them. Is that pro-democracy? 

And one party is run by a criminal fugitive who wants revenge. Is that democracy? 

[sungod]

6 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Some give and/or promise the people money when they vote for them. Is that pro-democracy? 

And one party is run by a criminal fugitive who wants revenge. Is that democracy? 

I read this article, it may shed some light. They are up against a political dynasty in that part of Bangkok with tremendous resources. I found it quite inspiring.

 

In a cramped shophouse in one of Bangkok's nondescript outer suburbs, a small group of volunteers feverishly pack leaflets in preparation for the daily ritual of canvassing for votes.

This is the decidedly low-rent campaign headquarters in Bang Bon for Move Forward, the most radical party contesting this month's general election in Thailand.

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-65491533

[h90]

26 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What are pro-democracy parties?

I see a battle between supporters of the fugitive criminal and people who don't want to see Thaksin ever again.

Sure, there are also lots of other criteria, but IMHO Thaksin is the most important issue.

Pro democracy is what USA/western media supports. If people elect the wrong one it is not democratic.

[h90]

19 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

IMO, any parties that are not run by Generals in suits.

 

You might not like them, they might not be perfect - but they are democratically elected. They don't steal power through the barrel of a gun. 

Also Generals have the right to become politicians after the retire....Eisenhower was also "General in suit".

[Gaccha]

3 minutes ago, h90 said:

Generals have the right to become politicians

Sure... but not by usurping the democratic process, then holding power as a military government for several years, and then creating a pseudo-democracy with a senate in its back pocket, and supine governmental bodies.

[Felton Jarvis]

Thailand will never change as long as there is a military.  Costa Rica solved this problem in 1949 by abolishing the military. Thailand has no need for a military since there are no countries who would even consider invading them.

[h90]

10 minutes ago, Gaccha said:

Sure... but not by usurping the democratic process, then holding power as a military government for several years, and then creating a pseudo-democracy with a senate in its back pocket, and supine governmental bodies.

They won the majority of votes in the 2017 election....and the constitution had a referendum which the previous did not have and which most countries constitution doesn't have so that is more democratic as many countries on the planet.
And if they do bad in the election the senate shouldn't and hopefully will not vote for them. If they do very bad and the senate pushes them into power than I do agree with you.

[h90]

6 minutes ago, Felton Jarvis said:

Thailand will never change as long as there is a military.  Costa Rica solved this problem in 1949 by abolishing the military. Thailand has no need for a military since there are no countries who would even consider invading them.

A few years ago there was fighting at the Cambodian border with artillery exchanges.
Myanmar is pretty hot.
There are disputes with Malaysia

Thailand needs a strong military.....if it should be a complete different one can be discussed but some military is needed.

[FritsSikkink]

53 minutes ago, JonnyF said:

IMO, any parties that are not run by Generals in suits.

 

You might not like them, they might not be perfect - but they are democratically elected. They don't steal power through the barrel of a gun. 

There is a lot of vote buying going on, not really democratic.

[BenStark]

9 minutes ago, h90 said:

They won the majority of votes in the 2017 election....

Maybe time for you to clean up your memory.

There was no election in 2017, and in the 2019 election they got far from the majority of votes.

 

PT got almost double the votes of Prayuth's party, but they were helped by their appointed stooges, also called senate here.

8 minutes ago, h90 said:

Thailand needs a strong military.....

Indeed every country needs a strong military, to protect the country, not to rule the country

[Gaccha]

12 minutes ago, h90 said:

the constitution had a referendum

And then they altered the constitution after the referendum... 

 

12 minutes ago, h90 said:

They won the majority of votes

They should have been in jail for committing treason against the state.

[JonnyF]

53 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Some give and/or promise the people money when they vote for them. Is that pro-democracy? 

And one party is run by a criminal fugitive who wants revenge. Is that democracy? 

Let's face it, most governments promise things in exchange for votes, it is just less subtle in Thailand.

 

I don't want to change the topic, but Biden's policy of writing off student debt is basically a more sophisticated way of doing the same thing. 

 

As for Thaksin being a fugitive, well, we all know the circumstances in which he acquired that status. A Kangaroo court. 

 

Fact is, pretty much anything is more democratic then the Army bringing tanks onto the streets.

[JonnyF]

9 minutes ago, FritsSikkink said:

There is a lot of vote buying going on, not really democratic.

But more democratic than guns and tanks, no?

 

Don't let perfection stand in the way of progress.

[jvs]

54 minutes ago, h90 said:

Also Generals have the right to become politicians after the retire....Eisenhower was also "General in suit".

Are we going to compare Eisenhower to Uncle Tu?

 

that is funny.

 

[SmokeandIce]

13 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

What are pro-democracy parties?

I see a battle between supporters of the fugitive criminal and people who don't want to see Thaksin ever again.

Sure, there are also lots of other criteria, but IMHO Thaksin is the most important issue.

One fact is certain. The current ruling party is the antithesis of democracy.

 

Time for a change after 8 years of endemic corruption and stagnant government.

[h90]

12 minutes ago, jvs said:

Are we going to compare Eisenhower to Uncle Tu?

 

that is funny.

 

It was criticized that a military got politician...Can find you 10 other examples....

[h90]

3 minutes ago, SmokeandIce said:

One fact is certain. The current ruling party is the antithesis of democracy.

 

Time for a change after 8 years of endemic corruption and stagnant government.

Stagnant: Yes....corruption: Less than with previous governments...with Thaksin sure the worst.
Antithesis? They were dictators and gave back democracy to the people and got elected...that does not sound like Nord Korea to me

[n00dle]

1 hour ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Some give and/or promise the people money when they vote for them. Is that pro-democracy? 

And one party is run by a criminal fugitive who wants revenge. Is that democracy? 

more so thsan folks who roll in the tanks rather than pay to win an election.

but you already understand the ditinction and how thailand works. your indgnation is merely moral posutring.

[h90]

36 minutes ago, BenStark said:

Maybe time for you to clean up your memory.

There was no election in 2017, and in the 2019 election they got far from the majority of votes.

 

PT got almost double the votes of Prayuth's party, but they were helped by their appointed stooges, also called senate here.

Indeed every country needs a strong military, to protect the country, not to rule the country

Sorry you are right 2019 I meant....
And as per wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Thai_general_election

Prayuths party 8,433,137 votes

PTP: 7,920,630

 

So PTP did not get double, not even get the same they got less.....votes and Prayuth formed a coalition with....I don't something like 20 parties to get premier....PTP could not form a coalition

[BenStark]

3 minutes ago, h90 said:

Sorry you are right 2019 I meant....
And as per wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Thai_general_election

Prayuths party 8,433,137 votes

PTP: 7,920,630

 

So PTP did not get double, not even get the same they got less.....votes and Prayuth formed a coalition with....I don't something like 20 parties to get premier....PTP could not form a coalition

This is what counts

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Thai_general_election

 

[h90]

11 minutes ago, BenStark said:

This is what counts

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Thai_general_election

 

You know already the 2023 results? It is 9th May and these are the results from 14th May 2023....

[BenStark]

3 minutes ago, h90 said:

You know already the 2023 results? It is 9th May and these are the results from 14th May 2023....

You have reading disabilities?

 

[h90]

9 minutes ago, BenStark said:

You have reading disabilities?

 

 

Try again.....This is the source....I don't know what it is but not the result from 2019.

 

This is the election result....from 2019 an nothing else

[BenStark]

5 minutes ago, h90 said:

 

Try again.....This is the source....I don't know what it is but not the result from 2019.

 

This is the election result....from 2019 an nothing else

It is because at the end of last year a lot of MP's did a run for the money and left PPP

[h90]

1 minute ago, BenStark said:

It is because at the end of last year a lot of MP's did a run for the money and left PPP

Yes that is a probable explanation, but the election was made with the 2019 numbers. Unfortunately Wikipedia does not explain and their source link is not helpful.
PTP also has some split aways. And BJ is an older split away.
 

[Chicksaw]

Geat, I hope Thaksin comes back, either by himself or proxy.  A cab driver I talked to early 2000s made the point. This was when Khun Ying Potjaman's sweetheart land deal was the big news.

 

I asked him why he supports an evidently corrupt guy. He said, they are all corrupt but Thaksin's done a lot for us (think he said something along the lines of Thaksin's 50% corrupt, 50% good, while the rest are 100% against the poor).

 

Which is borne out by Thaksin's policies: affordable health care for all, small business loans and educations loans in the rural heartland, defanging the transport/tourism mafia in the cities, and on and on.

 

Heck, there's a reason why he and his party are so popular despite his being away more than a decade and the relentless MSM/establishment effort to demonize him. People ain't stupid and they remember.

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, JonnyF said:

As for Thaksin being a fugitive, well, we all know the circumstances in which he acquired that status. A Kangaroo court. 

No, that is not what we all think.

Many of us, who were here then Thaksin was PM, know about his crimes and we are not surprised that he was sentenced to jail, just like other criminals.