Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has attacked a proposal to impose the death penalty on politicians convicted of selling or buying political positions.
Mr Abhisit said on Saturday he did not support capital punishment under these circumstances, although he has no objection to penalties for corruption being made more severe because he favoured the suppression of graft in any shape or form.
However, introducing the death penalty needs careful consideration, especially against the politicians connected to the selling and buying of political positions, as proposed by the Constitution Drafting Committee.
Mr Abhisit said it was important to look at what has caused corruption to persist. While enforcement of the law has proved problematic, acquiring evidence in the selling or buying of positions presented a challenge.
He was more interested in explanations of how heavier penalties could help in securing evidence against corrupt officials and improve law enforcement in corruption cases. "How to catch the bad eggs is more important," he said.
The Democrat leader declined to say whether extreme measures might deter corruption. It would be easier to make the selection of people to fill political positions transparent and subject to checks and scrutiny. There also should be strict vetting of qualifications of applicants.
Last week, National Legislative Assembly deputy chairman Peerasak Porjit said he was not in favour of the death penalty.
CDC chairman Meechai Ruchupan has said the death penalty proposal in the organic law on political parties was aimed at deterring corrupt people from getting involved in politics.
He said he believed it would discourage the buying of ministerial positions.
The Election Commission would be responsible for investigating these cases and the public could file complaints with the EC, Mr Meechai said, adding that the death penalty proposal would be included in the draft organic law on corruption that will replace current anti-graft legislation.