Pre-election tips for those still undecided on which party to vote

BANGKOK: Election manifestos from major political parties are now largely out in the open. This availability has been to a great extent forced by the new Constitution and by the pioneering work of the Thai Rak Thai Party to prepare itself for its first national election. This has made other parties follow suit in order not to be left behind. But who really has the most outstanding programs?

If you are among those who have not yet picked which party you will support, then there is no hurry to jump on the bandwagon. It has been the case throughout history that even coherent, well- written and well-thought-out election manifestos can quickly become empty promises when considered against the realities of the country, especially in the economic realm.

We have all got to remember that the state budget is now in deficit and any promises of tax cuts and more state spending should be taken with a grain of salt.

Personalities are another important element of a developing democracy such as Thailand's. One should not come to a quick judgement as yet, because none of the parties has unveiled its shadow cabinet. The composition of a cabinet has twofold importance: are the members competent, and can they work as a team?

There are other hurdles that voters should be aware of. Political-party leaders have made persuasive promises not only to the public but also to their own party members.

There are going to be too many politicians hopeful of getting ministerial posts without being qualified. A tragic element of Thai coalition governments is that prime ministers invariably cannot control the work of ministers appointed from other parties or are reluctant to do so because this would rock the government.

This is not to say that the voters will not have some ideas about who will be administering national affairs as the House dissolution date approaches. The new Constitution stipulates that any constituency MPs appointed to the Cabinet forgo their MP status. This is going to force the parties to try to field their prospective Cabinet members in the proportional-voting party list.

On paper at least, we have to say that Thai Rak Thai has the best-prepared manifesto. Its leader Thaksin Shinawatra has spent resources on a competent research team that has done quite a thorough job, although it is highly questionable whether some proposals will work. But what the party has done is to put policies to the forefront of the national election -- something not seen before in Thai politics.

Still, Thai Rak Thai cannot claim full credit, because the party has also left many areas of national development unaddressed, especially comprehensive strategies that may not be politically saleable at this point.

The Democrat Party has a reasonable manifesto, neither grand nor a visionary breakthrough. It was a pity that it was put together hurriedly and that many elements are missing that would be crucial in fostering national development and shielding the nation from the negative impacts of globalization. On paper at least, the Democrats and Thai Rak Thai have become a two-horse race in the coming election.

Then we have the second-tier parties, which are contesting to become part of a Thai Rak Thai or Democrat-led government. If you cannot decide between these two, then it is worth scrutinizing the manifestos of this third group.

Chat Pattana Party has unveiled a grand export strategy but with few details. Chat Thai is interested in rural spending and education. New Aspiration has a rural-based policy. There is little give and take between these parties, and they need to work on the quality of their prospective Cabinet members, because the records of their Cabinet nominees in government have simply been dismal.

If you are still undecided but interested in politics, we recommend that you allocate some time to visiting and talking to members from different parties or writing to them via their websites. And tell them straight out what you like and dislike about their policies or party members.

The party-list system helps to make the parties listen more to the views of the people on a national scale, although by and large politics remains local, because 400 legislators will be elected on a constituency basis.

And remember that even if you are passive politically, you are still required to participate as the new Constitution makes it mandatory for all adults to vote. If you don't like it, tell your would-be MP to change the law.

-- The Nation / Asia News Network