Corruption and campaigning

As more pressure comes on the Deputy Dictator and Minister for Bling, General Prawit Wongsuwan, The Dictator continues his campaigning for the unannounced election and his continuing premiership.

While free and fair elections are impossible under the junta’s rules (take note at the EU Council), General Prayuth Chan-ocha continues to campaign for “election.”

Dancing at a royal Disneyland, he “gave away dozens of cows, buffaloes and agricultural tools to farmers before observing an irrigation development project in the afternoon.” He also pork-barrelled, telling “locals how his government had allocated Bt305 million for irrigation development and Bt1.4 billion for three road construction projects.”

From The Nation

Protected by dozens of security guards, this campaign visit was better managed than the awful failure in the south.

As the Bangkok Post reports, Prayuth’s campaign “visits to the provinces with multi-billion-baht budgets to spend” come as he is “refusing party requests to lift the political activity ban…”. For the moment, only the junta is permitted to campaign for the “elections.”

In Kalasin The Dictator told residents not to vote for parties that make promises about raising “farm product prices by intervening in the market,” meaning the Puea Thai Party, but talking of policies his own government has implemented.

He was keen that villagers select him:

For the first time in more than three years, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha yesterday positively responded to a request for him to extend his stay in office during his visit to the northeastern province of Kalasin.

“We would like to see the premier in office for another 10 years,” said one unidentified villager, while Prayut told them that if they wanted him to stay, he would consider it.

In our view, there was never any doubt.