Political crisis
(BangkokPost.com)
The Supreme Court on Tuesday backed an Election Commission ruling that influential ex-House speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat committed fraud during campaign for the Dec 23 election. The verdict expels him from parliament and threatens the ruling People Power party with imminent dissolution.
After the verdict, PPP members began arguing whether to dissolve the House and call snap elections, a path reportedly favoured by Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej and several coalition party leaders.
Mr Yongyuth immediately lost his own Chiang Rai seat. He is barred from politics for five years.
The Supreme Court's Electoral Fraud Division ruled that Mr Yongyuth had attempted to bribe influential kamnan to back him and his PPP candidates in Chiang Rai. Mr Yongyuth's sister was earlier given a yellow card, and the verdict upheld that as well.
By a 3-2 vote, the court decided that Mr Yongyuth was guilty of the alleged vote-buying.
The court took two hours to read the background to the case and the verdict. The verdict cited a key witness in the case, kamnan Chaiwat Changkaokham of Mae Chan.
He told the EC last May that he and other village officials were offered 20,000 baht if they would swing their influence to helping Mr Yongyuth and the PPP in the election.
Thai media reported on Tuesday that Premier Samak met on Monday with key coalition partners Chart Thai leader Banharn Silpa-archa, Pracharaj leader Sanoh Thienthong, Puea Pandin leader Suwit Khunkitti, and Matchimathipataya leader Anongwan Thepsuthin.
They reportedly agreed that Mr Samak should dissolve parliament if Mr Yongyuth was found guilty.
In addition to PPP, four of the five coalition parties also face dissolution over various cases wending their way through the independent organisations and the courts: Chart Thai, Matchimathipataya and Puea Pandin.
The premier could also choose to try to ride out the crisis with a major cabinet reshuffle, replacing a number of lightning rod ministers and attempting to focus on the economy.
Although he is premier and nominal leader of PPP, Mr Samak is an "outsider" in the party, which is heir for ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai Rak Thai.
The decision to dissolve the House and call an election is vital, but not urgent.
The Election Commission will now get the Yongyuth verdict back, and will begin deliberations on whether to recommend whether to go ahead with a case to dissolve the PPP, a process which would take several months.
"I am sure the party will be dissolved unless there is a miracle," said Pol Lt Col Karn Tienkeow, a deputy leader of the PPP. "In Thailand it is too easy to dissolve parties."
EDITORIAL
Respect for rule of law
In a dramatic coincidence, a series of simmering political cases are about to come to a head in the next three weeks. The high-profile verdicts start today. The election cases division of the Supreme Court has scheduled the announcement of a verdict in the electoral fraud case of former House speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat. A half dozen more important cases will be in the spotlight. Then, on the last day of the month, Khunying Potjaman Shinawatra will hear the ruling in the first case to reach a verdict from the days of the Thaksin government.
The judges of the various courts will present their verdicts in these cases in a composed and dignified courtroom. It is important for all to realise - now, before the verdicts are announced - that the courts have a special place in such circumstances. They have two roles at once. The courts and their judges are vital parts of the system of checks and balances which make up any democratic system. But they also are the thoughtful section of the system. Far more than politicians, and more than the public, the judges carefully weigh all input to the case under examination.
The cases now about to reach court verdicts begin with Mr Yongyuth's today. He was accused, red-carded and found guilty by the Election Commission of dirty tricks including bribery in the general election of last Dec 23. At the Supreme Court, he is charged with bribing a kamnan in Mae Chan district of his native Chiang Rai province, to help his own election campaign and those of other candidates of the People Power party. His sister, Ms La-ong, received a yellow card.
The case is crucial to electoral procedure but its importance goes much deeper. Should the verdict go against Mr Yongyuth today - the PPP, its senior members and the government will all be at risk. Because Mr Yongyuth was a PPP executive when the alleged offences occurred, the entire party could be ordered dissolved. All executives could be barred from politics for five years.
Also coming, tomorrow, is the verdict on whether Public Health Minister Chaiya Sasomsab - an influential PPP financier - cheated by failing to declare that his wife owns more than 5% of a company. If so, he can be thrown out of the cabinet.
Due soon is the verdict in the long-running Klong Dan wastewater treatment scandal, a case with major political implications.
On July 28, the criminal division of the Supreme Court for holders of political positions will rule on whether to proceed with malfeasance charges against ex-premier Thaksin, his entire cabinet and other officials. Allegedly they broke a number of government regulations when they set up the two- and three-digit lottery. If the court accepts to hear the case, three current cabinet members will have to step down to face that music: Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee, Labour Minister Uraiwan Thienthong and Deputy Transport Minister Anurak Jureemart. Three days later, Mr Thaksin's wife Khunying Potjaman and her step-brother Bannapot Damapong will face the court to hear the verdict on charges of tax evasion.
There is a single duty for those who support and those who do not like the verdicts: Accept them. Rule of law is vital if democracy is to prevail. Defiance of the law - as some misguided PAD supporters attempted after being ordered to open main roads - is unacceptable. One need not agree with a court decision to accept it respectfully. In these cases and in others coming before the courts, the time for noisy disagreement is over when the judges announce their verdicts.
Comment: can you hear a ticking noise?
"Science flew men to the moon. Religion flew men into buildings."
"To sin by silence makes cowards of men."
