‘Public have no role in NCPO road map’ ROYAL CREMATION IS ONLY FAIR REASON TO DELAY POLL: CHUAN

The former premier, however, was not worried about whether an election would be held this year, but he said he was ready to run in the poll whenever it occurs. Chuan spoke after inspecting flooding in his hometown in Trang province. He said the road map was solely the government’s business, as it was its creation without public input. So, whether it could be accomplished as planned was up to the government, which has been determining such things from the beginning.

The Democrat said the only reason people would accept postponement of the election was because of the royal cremation of the late King. “I think people would have no problem with the royal event, but if there are other reasons apart from this, I’m not sure whether they can accept it [further delay],” he said.

Chuan said his party would not be worried if the election were to be held this year. But how to prepare for the coming poll was a concern, he said, and that included readiness of related officials, as well as of people in general, to learn about their political rights. That needed to be addressed so that public awareness on the issue could be boosted to the point that it supports the country’s business in the future.

Regarding concerns about tougher organic laws, Chuan said he had not publicly addressed the issue, but he had had talks with some drafters, including chief charter writer Meechai Ruchupan. The former PM said he told Meechai that reality was far different from theory and that not all things written could be implemented.

For instance, people may not want to pay a Bt100 membership fee to a political party. Such conditions appeared to be negative, he said. “It’s quite difficult to achieve [getting people to pay such a fee] except for those who are politically minded. I understand that the Constitution Drafting Commission [CDC] has good intentions, but it seems like they are writing their own thoughts, and are not living in reality,” said Chuan. “I don’t mean to put the blame on them, but I just want them to listen a bit. A good intention is good in itself, but it needs to be realistic too.”

Regarding another controversial proposal of severe penalties for corrupt politicians who sell positions, Chuan said the move seemed to have been done in a sarcastic sense when drafted, but he and his colleagues had no problem with that.

Chuan said the government had addressed several good points to solve previous political problems. However, it had failed to promote knowledge about democracy among the people. He said it was necessary to tell the truth to people so they could learn about things that had happened, as well as their political rights. The issue of selling of votes, he added, should be addressed seriously so that people learn why and how it leads to poor politics.

A lot of people, he said, were too busy making a living and didn’t have time to learn why the military had to stage a coup. This needed to be discussed with people so they can have “immunity”.

Chuan said he did not know if Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha had addressed all facts to the people, and he had no idea if the PM understands or is aware of this issue. But politicians, Chuan said, realised that this was critical. When on a stage, he tried his best to address this with voters so that they would learn to love their dignity. If nobody did that, people would not be aware of this.

Chuan said he had advised the Election Commission to take action on this issue, because it was their direct duty and not much time was left. “It’s a must, as people generally do not follow politics closely like we politicians or the media do,” he said.

As for the bad image of politicians, Chuan said he was not surprised if people had a negative image. He accepted that there were bad politicians but said not all were the same. People at present may not feel strongly about the holding of elections, but if asked whether they want democracy or tyranny he believed they would choose democracy.

The most critical problem, Chuan felt, was with legal enforcement, not the laws themselves. “Everyone must be treated equally under the same rule and that’s the way to make democracy survive.”

Asked if the Democrats and he were ready for the election, Chuan laughed and said, “Ask my party leader.” But he said in the next election, he was ready no matter when it takes place. Only the state of his health would determine whether he would continue in politics or stop. As long as he was strong and healthy, Chuan vowed to be a representative of the people. “As for the party, I think our party leader is still young and ready,” he said.

Some observers have predicted that the Democrats may lose again in the next election. To that, Chuan said: “That’s all right, if we lose the election. But it must be a fair game, and something that we are proud of. Otherwise we would run against our ideology, if do anything to win in a game.”