The Constitutional Court's ruling on Wednesday, ordering the dissolution of the Move Forward Party (MFP) -- the winner of last year's general election -- was no surprise.
For months, the MFP has been preparing a new party and listing "third-generation members" who will lead the new iteration of this progressive group. Other political parties have reportedly wooed over 100 elected lawmakers to join them. This political manoeuvring reflects a cycle of déjà vu in Thai politics: dissolved parties re-emerge under new banners and successors, while elected lawmakers from banned parties move on.
Some will become "cobras" -- a local term for lawmakers who switch parties in exchange for financial rewards or positions in ministries and Lower Chamber committees. In the case of the MFP, Pita Limjaroenrat -- one of the 11 executives hit with a 10-year ban from competing in elections or founding a new party -- proudly says the party's lawmakers are not for sale and will not betray voters' trust by becoming political cobras. It remains to be seen whether the progressive party and its ideological members will rise to the occasion or be drawn into the political whirlpool.
Indeed, the plight of this progressive party is not over. A group of 44 MFP members -- who in 2021 signed a bill to amend and tone down Section 112, also known as the lese majeste law -- are still in trouble, as their support for this move led some to question their ethics. If found guilty, some of these MPs -- including "third-generation" members tipped to lead the new party, such as Sirikanya Tansakul and prominent figures like Rome Rangsiman and Wiroj Lakkhanaadisorn -- could face lifetime bans from politics, which is seen as a death sentence for politicians.
If this happens, the party and its young politicians will be severely affected. Whether you support them or not, these young and idealistic politicians are a new political resource for the future. What will happen to Thai democracy in the long term if young politicians challenging tradition face political bans?
It is shocking to learn that over the past 25 years, more than 120 parties have been disbanded for violating the Organic Act on Political Parties 1998 and its latest 2017 version.
Reasons range from minor infractions, such as failing to field candidates in two consecutive elections, to serious ones, such as nominating Princess Ubolratana, sister of His Majesty the King, as a prime ministerial candidate, as was the case with the Thai Raksa Chart Party. Additionally, 249 politicians have been banned from contesting elections for 10 years. The question remains: do party dissolutions and excessive bans benefit the country? Is it making Thai politics cleaner, or democracy healthier?
Elected politicians from compliant parties continue to engage in politics, while unscrupulous politicians still walk free. Notably, coup makers who have shredded charters and repeatedly snubbed democracy have not faced political bans -- and, in fact, have thrived -- while progressive parties with radical stances perceived as a threat to the monarchy have been sidelined.
It is time for lawmakers and the new Upper Chamber to improve the law to ensure that penalties are proportionate and benefit democracy in the long term.
Perhaps the next challenge for the Election Commission will be the party dissolution case against the Bhumjaithai Party, which has been pending for 512 days -- compared to the 189 days it took the judicial system to disband the MFP. Without a major overhaul, party dissolution will hinder the development of Thai democracy.