Remove ‘patronage system’ from Thai politics for democracy to flourish: Democrat

She also believes that the patronage system in Thai politics should be completely removed as it triggers a vicious cycle experienced over the past several decades.

“If we want to see Thailand’s political system and democracy grow stably and sustainably, the most important task would be to create a space of freedom for the people and allow as much public participation as possible,” Watanya said.

Also known as “Madame Dear”, the 39-year-old politician was speaking at a panel discussion on “The Journey of Thai Democracy” organised by Burapha University’s Faculty of Political Science and Law on Friday evening. The state-funded higher-education institution is located in Chonburi province.

Watanya, whose party is part of the opposition, is a former party-list MP of the Palang Pracharath Party, which is now a partner of the ruling coalition.

At the discussion, she said that popular theory calls for political power to be allocated for the benefit of the people, but some politicians use that power for their own or for their cohorts’ interests. That has led to the need for democracy, to ensure that different groups of people with different opinions can coexist peacefully, she added.

Watanya said Thai democracy needs to be strengthened to better serve the interests of the public. She pointed to the need for an “atmosphere of freedom” that allows free expression of political opinions and public participation in politics, as well as a checks-and-balances system to ensure fair and proper use of power.

As for the so-called "patronage system” in Thai politics, she said there has been a decline across the country, judging from the results of the general election in May last year.

She was referring to a new phenomenon in which MP candidates from local political dynasties were defeated by lesser-known political debutants, particularly the Move Forward Party, which pulled a surprise election victory but failed to gather enough support in Parliament to secure the PM’s seat for its leader.

Under the patronage system, which sometimes involves infrastructure projects, financial benefits and even vote-buying, local political dynasties have maintained support from voters in their constituencies.

Watanya said this patronage system should be stamped out of Thai politics, as it is a symbol of inequity in the country and the starting point of a vicious cycle.

“The patronage system leads to corruption, which in turn opens the door to a military coup,” she said.

In December last year, Watanya’s bid to become the Democrat Party’s first female leader was foiled after she failed to gather enough votes to waive a regulation that requires candidates for the top job to be a Democrat MP and party member for at least five years. She just joined the country’s oldest political party in 2022.