Fake primaries show junta has reneged on promise of election reform
A true primary vole, such as that carried out in the US, is a direct election and thus gives power to the people – which is how it should be.
Each voter selects whom he wants to be his party’s standard-bearer, choosing from several candidates. Offered opportunities such as face-to-face debates between candidates, voters can become fully informed about the strengths and weaknesses of each aspirant, and choose wisely.
In contrast, instead of a primary, the junta is proposing that each party’s executive board – instead of party members – select the candidates.
As Jade Donavanik, chair of the College of Asian Scholars’ Faculty of Law, pointed out, this “new” system is no different from the previous one, where the party’s executive boards had all of the say in determining candidates”. This is in no way the political reform which we so badly need.
A primary that represents the members’ wishes takes much time to organise, especially for inexperienced parties – which is why the junta should have allowed political activities long, long ago, and should do so now.
Do it right, move us from a dictatorship towards a “government of the people, for the people, and by the people” (Abraham Lincoln). Give us a direct primary election, not a sham that fools nobody.
Burin Kantabutra
