Flashermac Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 << Of course vote rigging isn't as common here as in Thailand but local media have compared the Thai elections to Florida when the Bush was elected the first time. >> Arai wah? The Members of Parliament vote on forming the government. Now MPs themselves could well have got in by corruption, and many have been red carded and expelled. But how can the government the MPs created be by corruption, at least any more than in other parliamentary systems without one majority party? Trading off ministerial positions etc is part of the system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 From a legal point of view: The previous government decided to disband (very similar to ministerial crisis in some western countries -> when governments are formed then disbanded in series..). Ok it was due to street pressure but this is nothing unusual. (the fact the PAD blocked the airport is a separate things) The current government was formed following a vote by the parliament...totally legal. If there had been a shift in alliances this is also perfectly normal. So things like: The current government is illegal because not elected is PURE CRAP -> go read your legal courses at university. By the way: More than a few western countries have had some ministers brought to court for various motives (usually corruption) so saying that the Thai courts "sinked" the previous government is also a load of crap -> nothing stopped the parliament from electing a new government. Now, if people argue that the Thai legal system as well as the parliament are prone to corruption and power games I will not protest.... But the legality of the current government is not open to debate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julian2 Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Not even if the MPs who changed their votes were bribed or coerced? These people were elected by their constituents as TRT/PPP supporters and a case could be made that they were morally, if not legally, bound to continue on this path until the next election. Yes, yes, I know it goes on all the time, and I'm not taking sides, I don't think it matters a whit to expats here who's in power. It just annoys me to see Abhisit taking the moral high ground with people like Suthep behind him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Julian2, agree with you....from a moral point of view...I believe nobody on this board will dare say that Thai politicians are moral and clean... But something horrible to see (sometimes in western newspapers) is to see that they mix opinions with facts.... No matter what, the government is a legal one. That this is a mismatch coalition between the democrats (who pretend they are cleaner than others) and a bunch of opportunists is a matter of debate.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flashermac Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Not even if the MPs who changed their votes were bribed or coerced? These people were elected by their constituents as TRT/PPP supporters and a case could be made that they were morally, if not legally, bound to continue on this path until the next election. Plenty of politicians in the US have changed parties in the middle of a term. They usually get reelected though. It's not like UK parties, where party loyalty comes before anything else. It's also fairly common for Thai politicians to change parties. If their constituents don't like it, they can vote them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardy641 Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 The article isnâ??t worth reading. Full of half truths and totally biased. Must come from one Thaksinâ??s lobbyists. Not a word about the extrajudicial killings, the Krue Se mosque and Tai bak massacres, nothing about the increasing corruption and cronyism, the suppression of press freedom and massive election fraudâ?¦. Absolutely rubbish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTO Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 I'm firmly in the TRT style of engaging Isaan camp most often but strongly think for stability this government should serve the longest possible term. By following TRT/PPP policies to the letter in Isaan they have a chance of gaining stability - if their "friends and partners" ever let them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentors Posted April 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Thailand needs new elections with new faces, but this seems impossible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waerth Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Thailand needs new elections with new faces, but this seems impossible. This I definitely agree with you. Disqualify all current politicians and start with new ones without any family ties to the current corrupt bunch. So disqualify all career politician families and start anew. That would blow a wind of fresh air. Unfortunately like you say ... it will never happen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drogon Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 Waerth you forgot two important "measures to implement" IMO: . Corruption is prohibited -> punished by death . Strip all politicians of their wealth Will never happen of course Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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