Photo by Geoff Greenwood on Unsplash
Today, Thais will head to the polls for its general elections, with 70 parties contesting in the elections. This election is expected to be dominated by Pheu Thai (led by Paetongtarn Shinawatra), the Move Forward Party (led by Pita Limjaroenrat), the United Thai Nation (UTN) party (led by incumbent Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha),and the ruling Palang Pracharat party (led by Prawit Wongsuwan).With Prayut leading the country for the past few years, many voters expect a change in the current elections, and possibly a return to the stable electoral democracy system. Both Pheu Thai and the Move Forward Party look to oust the military’s influence in domestic politics and push for democracy within Thailand. In this election, many key issues will influence voters, with these issues being freedom of expression, the economy’s recovery post-COVID and the issue of cannabis. This essay will discuss the contentious electoral issues in the coming general elections.
First, political matters will play a central role. For starters, many Thais have grown sick of the military rule over the country, and parties like Pheu Thai and Move Forward hope to push for a return of democracy in Thailand. Some of those manifestations include greater freedom of expression in Thailand, and a greater respect for human rights, something the military government in Thailand has yet to deliver to its citizens. Thus, political reforms in terms of freedom of expression will be a central issue influencing voters in this election.
Second, economic populism will dominate the election, with various parties racing to provide welfare policies to aid Thais affected by the pandemic. For example, Pheu Thai’s Paetongtarn Shinawatra has talked to farmers regarding heightening crop yields and finding new markets for the agriculture products. On the other hand, Prayut’s UTN has brought together an economic team with influential individuals in the energy, property, and manufacturing sector. Pita’s Move Forward party has also pushed for policies for more equity. Another key issue is inflation, a problem faced by many other countries across the world. The ability of these parties to address inflation will be something that would sway voters. For instance, Palang Pracharath, the incumbent party had provided 1.38 trillion baht worth of cash transfers and subsidies to deal with inflation and rising energy costs.The Move Forward Party, along with Pheu Thai have pushed for minimum wages to cope with the rising costs of living. However, the race to provide these transfer payments has not had the most positive effects for the Thai economy, as it has led to an approach that is overly focused on the short term, with minimal policies implemented to support Thailand’s economy in the future. Last but not least, employment is another contentious issue, with many youths left unemployed. Hence, the ability of the parties to address short term and long term economic concerns like unemployment and inflation will be tested, though Pheu Thai might benefit from this, with Pheu Thai being known as a party that can bring economic growth and wealth redistribution.
Third, the issue of cannabis and its widespread use will be another contentious matter. Pheu Thai and other pro-democracy parties on one end are looking to end such widespread use of cannabis, with the negative consequences prevalent, as many have been encouraged to smoke cannabis. Simultaneously, it has yet to benefit farmers since there are high investment costs involved. The domestic industry has also barely thrived, with many illegal imports of cannabis being priced 4-5 times lower than homegrown cannabis. Hence, it has brought both negative social and economic consequences towards Thailand. The conservative public has also hoped for a change in the policies involving the use of cannabis. While the law that legalises cannabis might not be reversed, a new pro-democracy government might implement measures to extremely regulate the use of cannabis, just like how countries have done so for cigarettes for instance. As such, the next government’s plan and policy on cannabis will be in the spotlight as well for Thai voters.
In conclusion, Thailand is set for highly contested elections, an election involving many different parties, and an election that could possibly restore Thailand’s electoral democracy system. As parties attempt to gather votes, political issues like freedom of expression and economic issues like inflation, unemployment, and the well-being of farmers will be a huge concern for voters. Simultaneously, social issues like policies on cannabis will be a contentious matter among voters.
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