NRC’s Sombat: Hybrid election system comes with risks

BANGKOK, 25 January 2015 (NNT) - The chairman of a National Reform Council committee has warned that a hybrid election system may come with a number of risks.

NRC’s committee on political reform Sombat Thamrongthanyawong said that there are many risks Thailand may have to face if a hybrid election system which the majority of his committee members have endorsed is put to use.

Mr. Sombat said that, under such a system, if no political party wins more than half of the total seats, a coalition government will have to be formed while the leading party may not have sufficient bargaining power but smaller coalition parties may have a bigger chance to negotiate for key ministries.

In addition, the prime minister from this election will likely have no the power to control all policies and the administration of the country and may not be able to do much about corruption.

The biggest risk in the eye of Mr. Sombat is the fact that old and big parties with known former MPs will still have a better opportunity to win the election before they form a team to monopolise the House like in the past.


-- NNT 2015-01-25

Any election system comes with a guarantee not a risk and the guarantee is that it will be used and abused and not for the benefit of the people, only ... !

One man, one vote.

One electorate, one MP.

No free rides on the backs of others willing to sell their loyalty.

from this type of election the PM will have no power and may not be able

to do much about corruption, same as the last PM.

regards Worgeordie

"the prime minister from this election will likely have no the power to control all policies and the administration of the country"

CORRECT

Isn't it the objective of the NCPO to so weaken the PM position and all the federal government agencies so that they can never create serious opposition to military political power? This objective would be contrary to and threatened by the CDC's strict adoption of Germany's Multi-Member Party system that the CDC has now chosen to basterize in its alleged use. The proposed constitution will have so many independent "checks and balances" over any elected government policies and administrative actions that what the NCPO created will have a long, unadulterated lifespan. This Junta will give a door of democracy to the Thai people but it will keep the keys to the door's lock.

Is this a joke? The idea of democracy is that people vote in representatives to vote on their behalf. If a party wins a majority of seats then they get to follow their policies more or less unopposed. Unlike nations with a history of democracy Thailand has no checks against parties breaking all the rules and running roughshod over the wishes of the electorate but rather fool the electorate into their pet schemes for corruption.

Since there are so few Thais with any morals or ethics, running a democratc government simply reduces to who will give how much for what. At least with a coalition there is some harness on complete free for alls with no way to stop rampant abuse of the system. How you change this with the mentality and culture of Thailand to a system that actually benefits the country and its people rather than a few selected friends who are free to rape and pillage the treasury heaven only knows.