Proxy voting has again rocked Thai politics. The guilty politicians may claim they had no idea about the consequences of the voting irregularity, but it's undeniable that the practice now threatens to void the 2020 budget bill and has caused enormous damage to the country.
In fact, we are already suffering from its effects: a further delay to a bill for national spending that was already months behind schedule.
Now it's up to the Constitutional Court to decide whether the bill, which has already passed through the Senate and Lower House, will be either entirely or partially annulled because of thoughtless acts committed by a few MPs. Initially, three MPs were implicated in the scandal, namely Chalong Therdwirapong (Bhumjaithai-Phatthalung); Somboon Zarum (Bhumjaithai-Buri Ram); and Prim Pooncharoen (Palang Pracharath Party-Samut Prakan). All are first-time MPs. Mr Chalong was absent during the vote on the bill, but said he left his voting card in the chamber, and "somebody did it [voted]" for him.
But as the case unfolded, several other MPs were implicated, namely Natee Ratchakitprakarn, another Bhumjaithai party-list MP; Thanikan Pornpongsaroj, a Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP); and Kowit Phuang-ngam, a Thai Local Power Party list MP.
Ms Natee was travelling abroad during the budget bill debate. Mr Kowit was accused of inserting three voting cards into a voting machine during the House's deliberation of the bill.
The court, well aware of the urgency of the issue, quickly accepted the petition filed by House Speaker Chuan Leekpai in a bid to clear doubts surrounding the bill's legality. The ruling may be announced sometime this month, as the court ordered Mr Chalong, Ms Prim and Mr Somboon to submit a written explanation by Feb 4. Evidently, the voting irregularities shattered the Finance Ministry's hope that the long-overdue bill would come into effect this month. Political factors, tardy elections and slow formation of the coalition government contributed to the delay.
There is now fear that the bill's delay will drag on until halfway through the fiscal year, causing a big hiccup in state spending. That will definitely exacerbate the crises the Prayut government is facing in the form of drought, plummeting tourism income amid global concerns over the coronavirus and the economic slowdown.
While there is hope that the charter court may hand down a "soft" verdict and spare the bill, many are not optimistic. Their concern is warranted given the precedent set in the case of the 2.2-trillion-baht loan bill for infrastructure development sponsored by the Yingluck government in 2014. At that time, Pheu Thai MP for Sakon Nakhon Naris Thongtirat was caught red-handed when he voted for four or five Pheu Thai colleagues who were not present.
The court ruled the bill was unconstitutional due to voting irregularities, citing a breach in the democratic principle that one MP has one vote, and that MPs are obliged to do their duty, and vote with integrity rather than follow orders from above.
The latest case of proxy voting is similar to the 2014 scandal, meaning the court may deliver the same verdict and effectively consign the 3.2-trillion-baht bill to the rubbish bin. Although the government is trying to dismiss concerns over the scandal's impact, saying it is able to use leftover budget as a stopgap, invalidation of the bill would indeed be deadly serious. It would affect state investment projects worth over 600 billion baht that are designed to drive the economy.
MPs involved in the proxy voting should be held accountable for their reckless actions. They deserve harsh punishment in order to avert a recurrence.
They should learn a lesson from Mr Naris, who was charged last year by the National Anti-Corruption Commission and public prosecutors for his shameful act, the first such misdemeanour in Thai political history. The charges were filed with the Criminal Court for Political Office Holders, which agreed to hear the case.
Proxy voting may sound trivial, but it is punishable with a prison term. As lawmakers, members of parliament are obliged to do their duty with integrity and high moral standards. Yet many Thai MPs typically lack responsibility, and tend to disappear during House deliberations. Their absence has left the chamber short of quorums, and several times caused meetings to collapse. Such misconduct can no longer be tolerated.