Many disappointed with election result

ELECTION 2007

Many disappointed with election result

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Voters were generally not surprised by the outcome of Sunday's general election, but many couldn't hide their disappointment with the result which has put Samak Sundaravej, the 72-year-old leader of the People Power party, within reach of the premiership.

Others reacted coolly to the result, saying it would not bring stability to controversy-plagued Thai politics.

Panada Prathompan, a senior liberal arts student at Thammasat University, said the election result was ''very disappointing''.

Ms Panada, who voted for the Democrats, said she was afraid that those who were implicated in corruption in the previous government would not be brought to justice, considering the fact that the winning party was a nominee of the disbanded Thai Rak Thai party.

''Moreover, I don't think that an outspoken and provocative character like Mr Samak Sundaravej, the PPP leader, could help bring reconciliation to the much-divided country,'' she said.

Her view was shared by a student from Thammasat's commerce and accountancy faculty.

''Mr Samak's announcement that he would seek an amnesty for the 111 TRT executives who were banned from politics by the court is unacceptable. These mistakes are not forgivable mistakes. They should not be pardoned,'' said the Chiang Mai native, who declined to reveal her name.

The student said the vote's outcome, giving Mr Samak's party 232 of the 480 seats, reflected the fact that those from the TRT camp were still popular among rural people.

''I believe most of the middle class will suffer from the PPP's victory,'' she added.

In Sunday's election, the majority of votes garnered by the PPP came from the North and the Northeast, while the Democrats emerged as runaway winners in the capital.

Sumalee Derdsabai, a Surin native who runs a bookstall in Bangkok, said her relatives who live in the northeastern province were happy that the PPP had won the election in such a convincing fashion as they were strong supporters of the TRT's populist policies.

However, Ms Sumalee said she did not think the populist schemes were beneficial to the poor as they benefit only villagers well-connected to local politicians or canvassers.

She decided to vote for the Democrats this time, but unfortunately they too could not match the PPP's strength.

Pornpan Mansuwan, 43, said the PPP's triumph meant nothing to her.

Ms Pornpan ticked abstentions on both the constituency and proportional representation ballots.

The office worker said she used to be a staunch supporter of the TRT, but later turned her back on the party which was plagued by corruption allegations before it was disbanded.

''That put me off, so I didn't want to vote for any party this time. Moreover, most of the candidates are old faces with unimpressive performance records,'' she said.

Ms Pornpen said divisions in the country were unlikely to end soon, even with the installation of an elected government.

The only way to bring political stability in the country was to follow His Majesty the King's advice on national reconciliation. But, she said, it seems that few people are taking his advice seriously.