How will voters be informed

Promoting the referendum’s content, the responsible panels – the Constitution Drafting Commission and the National Legislative Assembly – are working on a huge public relations scheme involving hundreds of thousands of people trained to be speakers. They will explain to voters the subjects of the referendum, which today is the nation’s most significant political issue, both directly and indirectly.
The votes in the plebiscite will not only dictate the future but also in part reflect people’s thoughts on the past two years of military-led rule. Therefore, the political atmosphere will become intense in the run-up to the referendum as interested parties as well as ideological groups move vigorously to secure a referendum outcome that they consider favourable.
The problems, however, lie in the disparity between the regime and its antagonists, with the former richer in resources, including the power to restrain the latter. The question that will persist after the vote is how such monopolised and one-way communication will shape the referendum results.
Election Commissioner Somchai Srisuthiyakorn has told The Nation that the agency was well aware of the issue and had attempted to overcome it by proposing to support public engagement in campaigning for and against the charter draft. However, that plan has not been approved, he said.
Somchai expressed concerns about the PR scheme of sending the so-called Kru Kor, Khoh and Khor – representing charter spokespeople at the provincial, district and tambon levels – to disseminate information about the charter draft. He said he was not certain how well these representatives could fulfil their tasks.
The election commissioner’s greatest fear was that these speakers will fail to inform voters of the charter’s content and eventually voters will not be able to make a decision based on the merits of the constitution, but instead will be swayed by political factors.
Thammasat University political science lecturer Attasit Pankaew viewed the issue similarly, saying that such a monopolised PR scheme would result in voters receiving insufficient information and ultimately could lead to the public disrespecting the referendum’s outcome.
He said it was undeniable that there are quite a few people who have no interest in politics and remain unaware of the importance of the political situation. If the powers-that-be keep monopolising public information campaigns, and do not allow other groups to help to campaign, the chances are that many voters will not receive the necessary information, he added.
Attasit concluded that the regime could face the public’s rejection of the referendum results if it does not allow free and fair campaigning by all parties.
For Siripan Noksuan Sawasdee, a Chulalongkorn University elections expert, holding a referendum is based on the idea that sovereignty belongs to the people who have the power to make the final decision on crucial issues involving major national interests – such as a constitution, specific laws or public policy.
The scholar said both proponents and opponents of the referendum’s content should have equal opportunities to express their views, or the entire process faces legitimacy problems.
She added that responsible agencies should refrain from playing a part in disseminating, campaigning, providing information or persuading voters to exercise their rights. Otherwise, the campaign could lose its neutrality.
Siripan cited the referendum campaign song sponsored by the Election Commission, which could be seen as an attmept to persuade voters to approve of the draft, with lyrics suggesting that the constitution would bring about reconciliation and development, which people should help to support.