|
|
 |
|
Some unusual candidates and policies have been unveiled for this election
Some of have even been dubbed "political clowns" because of their eccentricities or their strange campaign tactics.
Even before the candidates were registered, media representatives who were invited to the Election Commission (EC) to talk about their roles and what they could and couldn't write smiled when one man extended his support for the tough restrictions.
That man was "Mr Smith", Smith Smithinand, a former candidate for the governorship of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Several years ago Mr Smith ran for the governorship and had the public in stitches when he presented his policy to solve the traffic jams in Bangkok.
He said the traffic was congested because cars had to stop at red lights. To solve the problem, he said, if he was elected governor he would order all traffic lights to be turned green all the time.
In this election, several candidates from different parties have drawn the public's attention with their strange antics.
Take Sakon Duangkaew, for example. When the 61-year-old Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party candidate from constituency 1 of Saraburi province showed up to register, he took out a bag and poured out thousands of small coins to pay his 5,000 baht candidacy fee.
Election officers spent several hours counting the coins on the registration desk.
Mr Sakon also wears hundreds of amulets around his neck.
The eight-time candidate said there was nothing wrong with him mentally, he used this tactic because he wanted people, especially his constituents, to realise the importance of money.
"I have saved it up [this amount of money] for a long time. Many people who first see me may laugh at me and think I have a problem with my brain," he said.
"I would say to you that I am not a political clown. I am normal, and I want to do good things for the country and the people."
Mr Sakon said he started wearing hundreds of amulets when he was 31.
He believed that the talismans, which he claimed were worth millions of baht, could help protect him from any danger and warn him to only do good deeds every day.
He said he had never taken the amulets off and even wore them when showering and sleeping.
"I have never felt they are heavy and I have never counted how many pieces I have," he said.
Some he bought himself and others were given to him.
Mr Sakon, who also claims to have travelled and worked in several countries and says he can speak Mandarin, English, Danish and Lao, pledged to use his experience working overseas to help develop the quality of life of his constituents, who would mostly be poor farmers.
He said he understood the plight of these farmers because he was born to a farming family.
"For myself, even though I only finished Prathomsuksa 4, I am more fortunate than those farmers because I had the chance of going to work in foreign countries.
"If I win this election I will make Thai rice farmers as rich as their Japanese counterparts," he said.
He did not understand why local farmers were still poor and were treated as second-class citizens despite the fact that these people were the backbone of the country.
Baoview Maneejam, 34, a Matchimathipataya party candidate from Samut Prakan province's constituency 1, is also proud of his name, which was given by his parents.
"It [the name] is also my selling point as I believe that nobody shares this name with me. For political campaigning I think it is advantageous to me because it is very easy for voters to remember.
"And many children laugh after calling my name," he said.
Baoview means "very lightweight" and he is another candidate who introduced himself on registration day with a grand and funny parade which drew the attention of the crowd and also got some laughs.
"Even though I am not a good looking man, I am an outwardly humourous man. I think this is my best point," he said.
The businessman, who claims to own hospitals, hotels and factories in Samut Prakan, used a wood and paper electric model train in his political campaign. He rode it and led a parade of people wearing the uniforms of students, doctors and nurses to register for the election.
This first-time candidate's policies include the construction of 10 skytrain routes in Bangkok within four years with a 15-baht flat rate fare as well as improving the country's rail network and the promotion of a welfare state with fre health care for all and free education up to university level.
In Khon Kaen, Panya Sripanya, a People Power party candidate from constituency 3, and his supporters brought along king cobras to registration day to attract voters' attention. The campaign worked well because it also drew the media's attention.
Mr Panya chose to use the cobras because villagers in his constituency earn money from hosting snake shows and selling snake meat.
Such appearances and the campaigns of these candidates may raise questions about their mentality.
Dr Yongyuth Wongpiromsarn, a psychiatrist at the Public Health Ministry, said it is difficult to prove if those labelled as political jokers had psychological problems.
"Voters must decide themselves whether they want to vote for those dubbed political jokers to be their representatives in the lower house or not," he said.
|
|||||
