The Lost Boy

Election day arrives in Thailand

Today is the day. More than a year after a bloodless coup, millions of Thais will turn out today to vote in a general election. It’s an exciting time as an observer, but it’s also one of concern. The thing that stands out about this election is the enormous impact Thaksin has already had on it. People appear to be voting in favor or else against Thaksin.

The mere mention of Thaksin’s name is often enough to sway people to vote one way or another. If you hate Thaksin, vote for us; if you love Thaksin, vote for us. None of the political parties should even be able to call themselves political parties – they have few political ideals between them.

I am terrible at analyzing political issues – especially in Thailand – but the reliance on Thaksin by the Democrats and the PPP does little to establish my faith in there political parties.

Bangkok Pundit has an interesting post about voters casting their ballots not for or against Thaksin, but against the coup. This adds another twist to the whole election. The Democrats, it would appear, are a little too closely linked with the coup makers for some people, making the PPP the natural alternative – in spite of people disliking Thaksin.

People like to harp on about democracy, but would Thaksin’s return not take us back to square one? There has been no closure on the Thaksin issue. Many people still miss him because he made their lives better and when they vote PPP, they vote for him to come back.

Perhaps if the coup makers had been able capture the support of the people, we wouldn’t have an election in which people vote for or against other people without any real political motivation. It’s like a very complicated popularity contest, with an abundance of people tipping the scales.

Bangkok Pundit and New Mandala will have plenty of election coverage. I might chip in with a few ill-educated thoughts from the South. We’ll see what happens — expect the Democrats to win in this neck of the woods.