PAD To Boycott Thai General Election

[webfact]

PAD to boycott the poll

By The Nation

The People's Alliance for Democracy will campaign for "no" votes and ask its offshoot New Politics Party not to field any electoral candidates for a snap election.

In his rally speech on Wednesday's night, PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul said he did not want the poll to be held because politicians would do anything immoral and unthical in order to grab power.

"The Democrat and Pheu Thai parties are likely to form together the next coalition and the PAD will boycott the elections," he said.

The PAD will ask voters nationwide to cast a blank ballot in a gesture of defiance, he said.

He also issued an ultimatum to members of the New Politics Party who oppose his idea.

"Anyone, be they party leader Somsak Kosaisuk and party secretary general Suriyasai Katasila, should leave the PAD if they oppose the election boycott," he said.

-- The Nation 2011-03-24

[animatic]

GREAT NEWS.

it means more votes for the Democrats will not be siphoned off.

Without NPP candidates, those that might fence sit wanting change will be free to vote as they wish. No votes typically don't affect elections that much. And certainly the 20% rule will be moot for Dems or PTP in this case.

Bravo NPP, shoot your own foot yet again.

Come on, try for the other one now.

Edited March 24, 2011 by animatic

[ib1b4]

Very interesting. but may I ask a question? Have the PAD in the past contested any other elections?

[whybother]

Very interesting. but may I ask a question? Have the PAD in the past contested any other elections?

The PAD, like the red shirts, are not political parties, so haven't contested any elections.

The PAD have previously supported the Democrats (or rather, opposed whichever Thaksin party existed at the time), but now support the New Politics Party (except that the leader of the PAD is not a member of the party).

In the 2006 election, I would expect (I wasn't here, so not sure) that the PAD would have campaigned for a boycott also.

[whybother]

I don't understand what this talk of a "snap election" is all about.

There has been talk of early elections since mid last year. All this year, the government have been talking about elections being held well before they are due, and now they have basically specified the possible weekends it will be on.

If people aren't ready for an election now, they never will be.

[janverbeem]

I think with this their latest announcemet PAD shows their real colors.

It is us in power or nobody else.Sounds like 3 year olds fighting for a toy....................oops I forgot that the majority here has the mental ability of a 3 year old .

[otherstuff1957]

Good, now if UDD calls upon their supporters to boycott the election too, only sensible people will be voting!

[Thailand]

Looks like Sondhi had fallen even further off his trolley!

[dumpling]

infantile, like children in a playground if the game is not going our way then we are not playing.

[WhizBang]

It is us in power or nobody else.Sounds like 3 year olds fighting for a toy....................oops I forgot that the majority here has the mental ability of a 3 year old .

Don't think so. My 6 year old (when he was 3) had more smarts than any PAD, Redshit or Thai politician.

Pathetic... the lot of them.

Edited March 24, 2011 by WhizBang

[hammered]

Cant say I agree with all the nonsense that the PAD come out with, but to boycott an election is a perfectly legitimate action, as is to call for a no vote. Personally I would like to see every country include a none of the above option on ballot papers to cater for the large numbers who never bother voting. In the last US election that led to the groundbreaking change with republicans sweeping the house those not voting outnumbered those who voted, but it wasnt widely reported.

[Crushdepth]

"The Democrat and Pheu Thai parties are likely to form together the next coalition and the PAD will boycott the elections," he said.

Sondhi has Lost The Plot. The rubbish that comes out of his mouth is every bit as ridiculous as that of Jatuporn, how sad.

They must think people are stupid.

[geovalin]

Normal, logical, respectable move.

Yellow's are against democracy, they cannot be for elections.

[drdoom6996]

One person one vote. If you don't vote don't complain about the outcome of the elections. If you don't believe that your vote counts, then you haven't been paying attention to any elections anywhere. How do you think Taksin won? He got people to vote. Albeit with vote buying, but they voted. What a bunch of mindless children.

[ChiangMaiFun]

Oh no! I was relying on them!

[givenall]

GREAT NEWS.

it means more votes for the Democrats will not be siphoned off.

Without NPP candidates, those that might fence sit wanting change will be free to vote as they wish. No votes typically don't affect elections that much. And certainly the 20% rule will be moot for Dems or PTP in this case.

Bravo NPP, shoot your own foot yet again.

Come on, try for the other one now.

I am always for stupide people to boycott elections, thisway we do not have stupide people make any decisions for the rest of us. Now ifwe could only have the Red shirts to boycott too

[DP25]

The PAD will ask voters nationwide to cast a blank ballot in a gesture of defiance, he said.

It's almost like they want Thaksin back so they can be important again

[chainarong]

A NO Vote, well don't complain then.

[anterian]

"The Democrat and Pheu Thai parties are likely to form together the next coalition and the PAD will boycott the elections," he said.

Sondhi has Lost The Plot. The rubbish that comes out of his mouth is every bit as ridiculous as that of Jatuporn, how sad.

They must think people are stupid.

They must think people are stupid. Well they should know, how often have you heard that farangs will never understand Thais, you have to be Thai to understand Thais. A good first step is to get drunk.

[Siripon]

Jamlong and Sonthi know full well from the poor turnout at their ongoing protest, and from last year's council elections in Bangkok that popular support for them and the New Politics Party is low.

Their results in the next election will be embarrassing as well as a waste of money.

Better to 'retire' early, claiming the playing field isn't level than suffer the humiliation of miserable election results.

[lungmi]

Normal, logical, respectable move.

Yellow's are against democracy, they cannot be for elections.

Right, like the reds, what they proved many times.

[Ricardo]

Oh no! I was relying on them!

Good one !

Somehow I rather doubt, that the failure of the PAD/NPP to participate, will alter the outcome of the elections much. They were surely destined to be (at best) a very-small party in Parliament, if indeed they succeeded in getting any MPs elected, at all !

But now they have the perfect excuse, for their likely-failure at-the-polls, since they won't be at-the-dance !

[Steely Dan]

It saves them the embarassment of proving what everyone already suspects, namely that they are now just a fringe group of ultra-nationalists long past their sell by date.

[SomTumTiger]

Very interesting. but may I ask a question? Have the PAD in the past contested any other elections?

The PAD, like the red shirts, are not political parties, so haven't contested any elections.

The PAD have previously supported the Democrats (or rather, opposed whichever Thaksin party existed at the time), but now support the New Politics Party (except that the leader of the PAD is not a member of the party).

In the 2006 election, I would expect (I wasn't here, so not sure) that the PAD would have campaigned for a boycott also.

I am sorry Why, but you are incorrect. The PAD does have its own political party, and they did contest a recent election - the Bangkok City Council elections. The PAD party is called the New Politics Party (I beileve, correct me if I'm wrong) and they managed to secure exactly 0 seats in that contest. The Dems scored like 18 and PTP 3. It was considered to be a huge indicator of public dissapproval of both the Reds and the Yellows, in Bangkok.

The PAD and the Red Shirts are both politically spent groups.

Edited March 24, 2011 by SomTumTiger

[rubl]

As some by-election(s) have shown the NPP doesn't stand a chance to even get a single seat. Wise move not to contest the upcoming general election. saves money, effort, face.

As for 'if oppose boycott, leave PAD'. As the political party NPP was founded by PAD members and k. Sondhi already left the NPP, this threat alone should be sufficient reason NOT to contest as NPP. BTW, will PAD start a new party ?

Can anyone remind me what the conditions are a political party must fulfill in order to be allowed to participate in a general election?

[Crushdepth]

NPP = Nutters and Peanuts Party?

[ChiangMaiFun]

It's all a 'yellow plot' to make the Dems look ok

[jdinasia]

The PAD like the UDD/DAAD/PTP are a one-trick pony --- no Thaksin to fight with/for and they have nothing else meaningful to say.

The question is will the NPP go along with the PAD on this?

[webfact]

Yellow shirts to campaign for 'no votes' at election, says Sondhi

By The Nation

Leaders of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) have agreed to campaign for voters not to vote for any political party in the upcoming general elections to prevent a return of greedy and power-hungry politicians, PAD co-leader Sondhi Limthongkul says.

The key yellow shirt leader also called on Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to take a three-year break from politics and to request royal nomination of a new prime minister to head a new Cabinet that consists of people who are more capable and honest than those in the current one.

"If the election is allowed to go ahead, we will see a return of beasts from hell," he said while addressing the PAD's followers on Wednesday night at their protest site outside Government House.

Sondhi admitted that he was one of those who do not want to see a new election soon.

"It has been proven that no political parties have the public interest in mind. Their ultimate goal is to gain money and power. That's why the PAD leaders have resolved that we will campaign for people all over the country to give no votes," Sondhi said.

He added that as long as the Thai politics and politicians remained unchanged, there would be no improvement whichever political party wins the next election.

He also said that the PAD's political party New Politics would be informed about the decision by the group's leadership. New Politics leader Somsak Kosaisuk and secretary-general Suriyasai Katasila would be told that the PAD leaders had resolved that the party should not contest the upcoming election. Sondhi added that New Politics may decide to field its candidate and if that is the case, "we will meet again to decide whether our ties with the New Politics Party will be retained or severed".

Sondhi called on Somsak and Suriyasai - who are both key yellow shirt figures - to choose whether they want to stay with the party or the PAD.

"If they want to be with the PAD, they should leave the New Politics Party. The standpoint of all the leaders remains unchanged. We have said repeatedly that the New Politics Party is a tool of the PAD and the party must not be more important than the PAD," he said.

In 2006, opposition parties led by the Democrat Party boycotted the general elections called by then-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra on grounds that there was insufficient time for election campaigning. Many voters supported the boycott by ticking "no vote" in the ballot papers. As a result, many candidates from Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party failed to win at least 20 per cent of the votes required by law to get elected.

Thai Rak Thai was later found by the post-coup Constitution Tribunal to have hired small political parties to contest the election, which led to the verdict in May 2007 to dissolve the party.

In his speech on Wednesday night, Sondhi also said that previously he viewed Abhisit as "the last hope" for Thai politics and "a light that was lit in a dark room." However, he added, the prime minister failed to create more lights in the room.

"Abhisit is just a spark of light and the room is now as dark as before. Eventually, Abhisit and Thaksin Shinawatra are not different," Sondhi said, referring to the PAD's arch rival.

-- The Nation 2011-03-24

[asiawatcher]

infantile, like children in a playground if the game is not going our way then we are not playing.

Excellent - and of course - who gives a toss about 40,000 Hi-So votes in a 64M people country? Go outside now children and play nicely, y'hear???