Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Wed, 18 Nov 1992 08:08:11 EST
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: Democrats admit campaigning

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 92 23:10:34+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>
Subject: Bangkok Post: Nov 17: Democrats admit campaigning for governor election
THE Democrat Party yesterday backtracked to admit that it had
campaigned on the provincial governor election issue and had said
that they could be held in five major provinces within five years.

Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai made the statement after being
questioned about the Democrat Party having made this promise
during its general election campaign.

Previously the Democrat Party would not be committed to a time
frame and always claimed that they had never committed themselves
to a provincial governor election but only to a general
distribution of administrative power to the provinces by way of
local elections.

Democrat MP for Bangkok Preecha Suwannathat admitted that House
Speaker Marut Bunnag, also a Democrat, had promised during the
election campaign that provincial governor elections would be held
within five years in five major provinces (Nakhon Ratchasima,
Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani, Hat Yai and Songkhla).

The issue has pitted the Democrat and the New Aspiration Party in
a conflict with the head-strong Palang Dharma Party which still
insists on having provincial governor elections right away.

Mr Chuan, who is the leader of the Democrat Party, yesterday
allowed that governor elections can be held in five major
provinces within five years. However, he stressed that this
depended on a study by the Interior Ministry which will have to
study the details of the proposal first.

The Prime Minister said that changing the administrative system of
the country was an important thing and can not be rushed. In the
short term it can not yet be carried out until a study of its form
and structure has been conducted.

He said that distributing administrative power was no problem no
matter what name it might be called. This had been previously done
in the past.

The Prime Minister said that the Interior Ministry has been told
to study the issue and a committee has already been set up to do
this. But it can not be quickly done or it would be damaging.

Asked about the fear that provincial governor posts would fall
into the hands of local influential figures, Mr Chuan said that
time was needed for the study and the information will be
considered by the Cabinet.

The things that will have to be studied would include the
relationship between the elected representatives and the civil
servants from the various ministries at the provincial level, he
said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Interior Minister Suthas Ngern-muen (Democrat
Party) commented that any coalition party which refuses to accept
the resolution of the Government whips would show a lack of
political manner.

He was referring to the Palang Dharma Party which fully supported
the idea of immediate provincial governor elections.

Mr Suthas admitted that the Democrats supported the idea to elect
the provincial governor in five major provinces in five years
during its election campaign. But nothing was mentioned when the
coalition parties discussed the drafting of the Government policy,
he added.

He said the policy only mentioned the local administration
election.

Mr Suthas said the PDP did not oppose the Government policy at all
during the drafting. "Whether the election of governors should
take place or not, the ministers in the coalition Government must
listen to the majority of Cabinet members too," he insisted.

Deputy Prime Minister Banyat Bantadtan said that the policy of a
political party and that of a coalition government are separate.
Once parties come together to form a coalition government a common
policy will have to be formed and each party will have to give in
on what they want so that a compromise can be worked out.

The Democrat Party has to give in on its own policy as well so
that the coordination of the work of the Government can proceed
smoothly.

Asked why the Democrat Party has been denying the provincial
governor election proposal since the start, Mr Banyat claimed that
when the Government policy was being drafted his party can not
insist on what it wants otherwise nothing could be worked out.

He said that he did not want to say anything that would cut into
the hearts of other coalition parties. He said the Democrat Party
considered that it has not gone back on any promise it made to the
people during the general election campaign.

It would have been impossible to form the Government if every
partner insisted on everything in its policy being adopted. Every
party has to work under this condition and the Democrat Party has
many other policies that it can not carry out because it has to
listen to the opinions of the other coalition partners.

Asked if at present the country was ready for provincial governor
elections, Mr Banyat replied: "It's not that it's not ready. But
we have the same opinion which is the policy of the Government.
It's not about readiness."

  He also added that the policy of the Government does not specify
that there has to be governor elections within five years.
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