Suspicion Shrouds Today’s Ec Meeting With Parties

[Jai Dee]

Suspicion shrouds today’s EC meeting with parties

The Election Commission meeting today with the country’s political parties, which was ostensibly called to update its party membership registry, has a hidden agenda, it was claimed yesterday.

Not only are the three embattled EC commissioners attempting to buy time, but party members themselves will use the meeting to further their own political agendas, Jade Donavanik, dean of law at Siam University, told ThaiDay.

“It is normal for the EC to check political party membership, but the scheduled meeting today has no clear objective,” said Jade. “[updating party membership lists] is something EC clerks can do. It does not require EC commissioners to do it themselves,” he said. “Clearly it shows the EC is ignoring public concerns that their continuation in their jobs is inappropriate. They are buying time.”

EC chairman Wasana Permlarp sent out invitations over the weekend to 34 political parties to this morning’s meeting at EC headquarters. In justification, Wasana said there could be as many as seven million people registered with more than one political party.

It is expected that most of the 34 political parties will attend the meeting. Former opposition leader Abhisit Vejjajiva’s Democrat party, which boycotted two previous EC meetings following the failed April 2 general election, said it would attend today’s meeting.

Although caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party has not officially said it would be represented, it is expected to attend as it was the only major party not to boycott the two previous EC meetings.

The Chat Thai party was the first to announce that it would attend the meeting, in what is being seen as an attempt to strengthen its position as a viable “alternative” to the TRT party in the proposed October 15 general election. Somsak Prissananthakul, the deputy Chat Thai leader, said yesterday that the party was ready to tackle the country’s political problems.

“It is our job that must be done together,” said Somsak, adding that there was no problem with his party attending the meeting because “it does not involve setting the election date.”

But Jade said it was imperative that His Majesty the King’s advice was listened to. “His Majesty has made it overwhelmingly clear that he will not interfere and will only provide advice,” said Jade. “All sides must adhere to His Majesty’s words of wisdom – that all must take up the burden of resolving the country’s problems…the country could be on the verge of falling off a cliff.”

Jade added that to avert disaster the EC must resign.“If the EC continues to be stubborn and resist the will of the people, then it may lead to grave problems. Public demonstrations may resume and could be more violent [than before],” he said.

Source: ThaiDay - 14 June 2006