Majority of Thais Willing to Sell Their Votes

[Guest fountainhall]

According to The Nation today, a poll claims that a majority of Thai voters say they are willing to accept money from election candidates who want to buy their votes.

 

The poll by Bangkok's Assumption University of 2,604 eligible voters in Bangkok and 17 other provinces found that 53.2 per cent would be willing to sell their votes, 40.2 per cent would not and 6.6 per cent were undecided.

 

According to the poll, the north-east showed the highest proportion of people willing to sell their votes, at 69.6 per cent, followed by Bangkok. The poll found that 79.5 per cent of those surveyed admitted vote-buying took place in their communities, while 20.5 per cent denied it.

 

Asked about their political affiliation, 61.1 per cent said they were not yet committed while 27.2 per cent supported the government and 11.7 per cent were opposed to it.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/home/Poll-says-majority-of-Thais-willing-to-sell-their--30146486.html

 

I am not sure that 2,604 voters can be claimed to be a reasonable representative sample. I am also not sure of the validity of whatever I read in the newspapers in Thailand.

 

But, if the voting pattern is even remotely representative, it bears out what many have said for a long time - that vote buying is the norm rather than the exception. I also find it somewhat strange that the heart of the red-shirt territory, the North-East, should have so many admitting not only that they had sold their votes, but confirming that vote-buying took place in their communities. I am sure each side of the political divide will have ready answers for it.

[Bob]

I'm curious as to how they worded the poll and if they presumed that anybody who accepted a payment (i.e., got the standard 200-300 baht for allegedly selling their vote) then voted as they were paid once behind the voting booth curtain.

 

I asked a Thai friend from the Surin area if he accepted payments from the politicians and he said "yes." He added that he sometimes accepted payment from several political parties (their operatives float around the towns prior to an election and dole out cash to people). When I asked him if he thought it was wrong to do that, he answered somewhat to the effect of "why not, I'm not stupid, I never turn free money down." When I asked him if he felt obligated to vote for whoever paid him he was rather clear: "Oh no, I'll take their money but I vote for who I want to when I go to vote" (not an exact quote but that was the message he was conveying).

 

I've heard the same story from others - they take the money but then they go vote for whoever they want to vote for (given nobody, they claim, knows how they vote once they go into the booth).

[TotallyOz]

Does this mean it would be possible for me to become Mayor? I have always wanted to be a mayor.

[Guest jomtien]

Does this mean it would be possible for me to become Mayor? I have always wanted to be a mayor.

 

 

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