Re: Legalizing Thai vote selling and vote buying

"Tchiowa" wrote ...
"maxwell" wrote:
"Tchiowa" wrote ...
> pluto wrote:
>> Legalizing Thai vote selling and vote buying
>> ||Yesterday 10:09 PM|Colonel
>> Jeruhttp://jeroo.wordpress.com/2007/11/23/legalizing-thai-vote-selling-an...
>> An official survey found that 64.6%
>> (http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2007/11/22/opinion/opinion_30056956.p...
>> Thais will sell their vote. With such overwhelming majority of the >> Thai
>> electorate predisposed to cashing their votes, why not just remove all
>> pretenses
> While this article is "tongue in cheek" there is a point behind it.
> There was a letter in the Nation this morning (Saturday) pointing out > that
> vote buying goes on everywhere, including in the US and Europe.
> Like the letter writer, I fail to see the difference in someone saying
> "I'll give you 500 baht to vote for me" and someone saying "I'll give
> you a 500 baht benefit *after* you vote for me".

Two differences.
The former is a tangible payment, the latter is but a promise.

Of a payment.

Gee, thanks.

And if he doesn't pay he doesn't get the vote.

No, if he doesn't promise to pay.
Whether he pays is whether a promise is fulfilled.

Those with a history of following up on their payments continue to get elected.

Those with a history of producing the appearance of promises paid, more correctly.
As 'robbing Peter to pay Paul' remains one example of politicos weaseling the appearance of promise fulfilled
(as in letting minimum wage rates enforcement up-country go by the wayside, while ballyhooing plums that are less than they're made up to be; example: 30 bt coverage ran concurrent with hospital budgetary shortfalls/staffing reductions), the fact of a repeat vote does not prove a follow-up of tangible overall benefit--or is 'creative accounting' something that only financial professionals occasionally get caught at, while politicians enjoy total immunity? )

Therefore the difference is close to zero.

What, by fiat?

While the rich can buy the votes of the poor, the poor can buy nobody else's votes, neither rich nor poor.

Actually if you knew anything about Thailand you'd know that's a crock.

Try OTHER than recourse to your _presumed_ authority; your arguments would then be other than pontifications.
(unlikely anyone on this forum is holding their breath in anticipation ;~)

What actually happens in the overwhelming majority of cases is one of two things:
1) Thai voter decides who he is going to vote for and then take a payment from that person. Therefore no change in the results. No vote got bought.

Only true if multiple buyers are available. Evidence of 'open market' ?

2) Thai voter takes money from all candidates then votes for who he wants to vote for. Therefore no change in the results. No vote got
bought.

Reports I've had of Thai voters taking mobiles into the polls to present pictorial evidence of performance prior to payoff contradict this, as does recalling that in the snap election, one of several irregularities concerned positioning of voting stations to enable observation of voters.This goes against both 'open market' and 'voter deception.'

There's also the effectual *en bloc* vote buys of minority _parties_ to get past unopposed-in-district super-majority regulations, that occured in that 3rd election (you've repeatedly claimed that election was evidence of TRT continuing a *democratic* imperative despite the fact that three EC officials were convicted for electoral miscreance many months _prior_ to the coup)

And in the US it's worse. Because the vote is being bought with someone else's money. A different voter. ("Vote for me and I'll give
you access to your neighbor's wallet.") And it *does* change the results. Votes get bought.

That's reiterating your claim, of the promise of future benefit being equivalent to the direct quid-pro-quo.
Repetition of the claim is not proof.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Postcard: Chiang Mai - Why Isaan Loves Thaksin
    ... Does vote buying change the results? ... Thaksin not have been elected without vote buying? ... Saying that a Thai ... doesn't care. ...
    (soc.culture.thai)
  • Legalizing Thai vote selling and vote buying
    ... Legalizing Thai vote selling and vote buying ... With such overwhelming majority of the Thai ... Once Thailand completes decriminalizing vote buying and selling, legalizing ...
    (soc.culture.thai)
  • Re: Vote buying a fact of life.
    ... if most Thais think vote ... become a plaything of those who can afford to pay the most at election ... Thai Rath editorial _ Vote buying is so deep-rooted in Thai society ...
    (soc.culture.thai)
  • Re: You Tube article
    ... that vote buying and unprosecuted or unconvicted flagrant violations of law ... had offered Thai jangwat voters an even better platform they would ... argument that I've never heard in Thailand. ... "Contrary to some views, Thai politics is not a mystery, ...
    (soc.culture.thai)
  • Re: You Tube article
    ... that vote buying and unprosecuted or unconvicted flagrant violations of law ... had offered Thai jangwat voters an even better platform they would ... argument that I've never heard in Thailand. ... "Contrary to some views, Thai politics is not a mystery, ...
    (soc.culture.thai)