The Election Commission (EC) proposal governing the expenses on election campaign limits for parties and MPs has caused a stir.
Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, policy steering chairman of the Seri Ruam Thai Party, lashed out at the proposal which he said would see a huge increase in the cost of election campaigns.
According to the proposal, an individual constituency MP will be allowed to spend up to 6.52 million baht campaigning in case parliament runs its course, up from around 1.5 million baht now.
In case of a House dissolution, the cost is reduced to 1.7 million baht. The party's listed MPs expenses will go up to 152 million baht, from 35 million baht. In case of a House dissolution, the expense will be cut back to 40.6 million baht.
Such a massive increase is not proportionate to an MP's salary which is around 1.2 million baht per year.
Mr Somchai said the proposal, if implemented, will favour big parties, when they already enjoy advantages over smaller ones.
His Seri Ruam Thai Party won 10 seats in the 2019 election. On the surface, the EC appears to be endorsing a spending spree by politicians and parties during the campaign.
The academic-turned-politician also points out that the calculation method is illogical.
On top of that, it seems the EC made no attempt to seek input from parties over the new expense rules.
The agency sent a letter dated Dec 9 and requested a response by today.
Mr Somchai, who is an ex-EC member, makes a good point. In fact, the EC is no stranger to controversy. The agency is good at finding fault, especially among government critics.
During the 2019 poll campaign, there were allegations that it practised double standards when it allowed the Palang Pracharat Party (PPRP) to get away with a dubious fund-raising campaign while nitpicking with other parties.
A number of politicians have complained they have to refrain from merit-making for no good reason.
The EC's illogical policy eventually backfired after a politician who was disqualified took a case to court.
The case involved Pheu Thai MP Surapol Kietchaiyakorn who won the seat in Chiang Mai's Constituency 8 in the 2019 general election. However, the EC issued him with an orange card for making a 2,000-baht donation at a local temple, which was seen by the agency as vote-buying.
This means Mr Surapol was stripped of his MP status and eligibility as a candidate while the Pheu Thai Party could not field a candidate in the by-election.
The veteran politician took the case to the Supreme Court overseeing election cases which ruled in his favour. In a historic ruling, the court ordered the EC to pay out 64 million baht plus interest in compensation.
It's the first time the agency overseeing both local and national elections has lost a court case. The agency has appealed. The EC must learn lessons from the past and act more carefully.
For the expense rules, the EC should seek thorough consultation from parties and election experts rather than rushing the process as it is doing now. There must be no mistakes.
