As caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and her ruling Pheu Thai defiantly stick to their decision to go ahead with the election on Sunday, what we as voters can do in the meantime is explore our options.
Some may already have a choice in mind, but many are still undecided for they are not sure of the consequences, particularly when it comes to the political implications.
In fact, confusion reigns on social media and many people I have met over the past few days told me of this dilemma of the choice between a "vote no" and "no vote".
In English, this "vote no" and "no vote" debate might not make sense since they mean the same. But in the Thai context, the meanings are poles apart politically.
The Thai "no vote" tactics mean not turning up at the polling station at all as called upon by protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban as a symbol of resistance against the "Thaksin regime"; while the so-called "vote no" means you are marking the box "do not want to vote for any candidate" on your ballot.
Let us look at the ''no vote'' option first. Some people have been led to believe that by not turning up to vote they can prevent certain candidates being elected. But this isn't always true. It can happen in constituencies where there is only one candidate, who needs to win at least 20% of the eligible votes. Not voting at all in constituencies with more than one candidate will let the candidate with more votes win even more easily. So, a vote no means a ballot has been cast making the single candidate's chances harder. Besides, these tactics can be used only three times. After that the sole candidate will be elected.
This "no vote" option is also tied to the number of poll candidates. A turnout lower than 20% can void the poll results only when it happens in a one-horse constituency. Both "no vote" or "vote no" may not serve the purpose of blocking someone from politics.
Mr Suthep, while promising not to derail Sunday's poll, has pushed for the ''no vote'' as a symbol of boycotting the farcical polls a move that has prompted his political enemies to brand the ongoing anti-Thaksin fight as "anti-democratic'', casting it in a bad light.
As the "vote no" versus "no vote" debate drags on, in my view, the former is not as wasteful as feared by the protesters; and this is not a case of fears of losing the election and certain political rights for breaching election law. But not going to vote, I believe, can be (mis)interpreted as being politically ignorant or lacking political awareness (a type of voter bad politicians love); but it's another matter if one is going to vote to give a firm, solid "no" in a democratic way.
Of course, Pheu Thai together with its coalition or coalition-to-be has the right to hope that without the Democrats in the race they can make a political comeback in this poll. If not, they wouldn't have pushed for the election so strongly, dismissing all the concerns from various groups over possible confrontations or a bloodbath. They shrugged off a warning that the poll process may, according to the weary Election Commission, drag on for months due to legal technicalities and subsequent lawsuits.
Perhaps, Ms Yingluck and Pheu Thai are right there may be no major changes in the political landscape; not now. However, people should not deprive themselves of a chance to say "no".
In fact, marking "no" on your ballot on Sunday can mean:
- You say "no"' to the irresponsible rice-pledging scheme that is plagued with graft and has cost the country a fortune while destroying the rice sector;
- You say "no" to lack of transparency in the water management scheme, including the Mae Wong project;
- You say "no" to Pheu Thai's populist policies that compromise fiscal discipline for political gains;
- You say "no" to the current police state;
- You say "no" to the Thaksin regime and want real reform;
- You say "no" to the lack of checks and balances in parliament; and so on.
Think about it. Isn't it time you exercised your rights and, with a "vote no" count of millions, gave a surprise to the politicians?
Ploenpote Atthakor is Deputy Editorial Pages Editor, Bangkok Post.