Social action party

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The Social Action Party (SAP; also: Party of Social Action; Thai พรรค กิจสังคม , RTGS Phak Kit Sangkhom [ pʰák kìtsǎŋkʰōm ]) was a political party in Thailand , which existed from 1974 to 2018. It was founded by Kukrit Pramoj and had a moderate and reform-oriented orientation. From 1975 to 1976 she led the government. In the 1979 and 1983 elections it became the strongest force, but had to leave the government to the military . From the mid-1980s, their influence steadily decreased. From 2001 onwards it was almost politically insignificant.

Political position

The Social Action Party can be described as a liberal-conservative party. It was considered progressive in the 1970s and was mostly placed slightly left of center in the political spectrum . At the end of the 1980s, it was considered the most liberal market party in Thailand and was classified as a moderate center-right party.

history

Party founder Kukrit Pramoj (1974)

Foundation and governance (1974-76)

The Social Action Party was founded in 1974 by the royalist politician Kukrit Pramoj (1911-1995), with the support of a group of reform-oriented bankers around the CEO of the Bangkok Bank , Boonchu Rojanastien . With the concept of a socially oriented and caring capitalism, she wanted to calm the increasingly radical political mood after the democratic popular uprising in 1973 . Their role model was the People's Action Party in Singapore . In the first free election after 25 years of military dictatorship in January 1975, it became the fourth strongest force. However, she succeeded in forming a coalition of several parties, including the right-wing, military-related parties Tham Sangkhom (“Social Justice”) and the Chart Thai Party . This made Kukrit prime minister .

The SAP pursued an ambitious reform program with the aim of rural development and poverty reduction. They wanted higher minimum wages, full employment within five years, an end to inflation, public housing and free bus services for the poor. The tambon funds were at the heart of SAP's reform projects . The Tambon municipal councils should be provided with their own funds from which they should pay for the construction of transport facilities, irrigation canals and wells, the repair and expansion of school buildings and health centers. These public building projects should give farmers job opportunities even in the dry season. At the same time, the project aimed to decentralize political decision-making processes to the local level. In 1975 the program paid out 2.5 billion baht, in 1976 it was 3.4 billion. In line with this, SAP also wanted to introduce elections at the community level. Elected representatives should replace government-appointed representatives.

However, this was no longer implemented because in January 1976 the government coalition broke up due to disputes between the parties and Kukrit triggered new elections. In the process, SAP gained a few seats and became the third strongest force. This time, however, the Democratic Party managed to form a coalition and Kukrit's brother Seni Pramoj became head of government. The SAP went into opposition.

Opposition and junior partner in government (1976-90)

After the massacre at Thammasat University on October 6, 1976 and the military regained power, all parties were temporarily banned. In 1977 they were allowed again and the SAP operated opposition policies against the military-backed government of General Kriangsak Chomanand . Before the 1979 elections, she criticized in particular the economic policy incompetence of the Kriangsak government, which she blamed for the sharp rise in inflation. In this election, SAP was by far the strongest force. However, since the Senate appointed by the military voted in addition to the elected House of Representatives in the election of the Prime Minister, Kriangsak was confirmed in office. In 1980 General Prem Tinsulanonda took over from Kriangsak as head of government. He accepted the SAP into his government coalition. In doing so, she supported Prem's system of "half-democracy". Kukrit Pramoj resigned from his post as party leader in December 1985, and Foreign Minister Siddhi Savetsila took over the post.

Internal conflicts over an alleged secret support of the party by General Arthit Kamlang-ek led to heavy losses of votes in the 1986 elections. Before May 1986, a faction under Boontheng Thongsawasdi split off with the help of influential business leaders and founded the United Democracy Party (United Democracy Party) that was unsuccessful. The SAP became more and more a political vehicle for business people from the provinces, so-called “influential people” and “godparents”. In 1988 , Montri Pongpanich from Ayutthaya Province became general secretary of the party. Corruption scandals lowered the party's reputation more and more. In the fall of 1990, Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan threatened to throw the party out of the coalition government. Siddhi Savetsila gave up the party chairmanship out of anger and withdrew from politics. Kukrit was asked to replace Siddhi as party chairman at short notice. But since Chatichai had previously been foreign minister under Kukrit, he decided not to exclude the party from the coalition.

Decline, dissolution and attempted resuscitation (since 1990)

After a brief interlude with Kukrit at the top of the party, the former general secretary Montri Pongpanich became party chairman. He was one of the politicians whose assets the military junta confiscated in 1991 because they had become "unusually rich". In December 1990, the Social Action Party finally withdrew from the Chatichai Choonhavan government and did not return to the cabinet until April 1992 under General Suchinda Kraprayoon . In the Black May dispute between the military-backed government and the democracy movement, the SAP was therefore counted among the “devil's parties” in the Thai press. In June of the same year, however, the ministers left the pro-military coalition.

She was considered to be the "least diabolical" and was therefore considered after the new elections in September as a junior partner in the coalition government of Chuan Leekpai , which was formed by the previously opposition "Angel parties" and to which she belonged until 1993; likewise in those of Banharn Silpa-archa (1995-96) and Chavalit Yongchaiyudh (1996-97). In 1997 she changed camps and again helped Chuan Leekpai's Democratic Party gain a majority.

In 1998, Montri resigned from party leadership after a corruption scandal in the Ministry of Health, which he led. He was first followed by his father-in-law Boonpan Kaewattana, then Suwit Khunkitti in 1999 . In 1999 there was a renewed power struggle in the party, which led to a split and the withdrawal from the Chuan Leekpai government. 17 MPs left the government coalition. By 2001 the party had lost much of its political backing. The 2001 elections left her with only one seat in parliament. Many members, including the former party leader Suwit Khunkitti, joined Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's Thai-Rak-Thai party . In 2003 the party was dissolved.

After Suwit's return - as a result of the forced dissolution of Thai Rak Thai - the Social Action Party was revived in 2008. Suwit was a member of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva's cabinet from 2008 to 2011 . In the parliamentary elections in Thailand in 2011 , the Social Action Party won 0.3% of the list votes and no seat. As it only had eight members, the election commission of Thailand dissolved the party in October 2018.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Leifer: Dictionary of the Modern Politics of South-East Asia , Routledge, London / New York 1995, keyword “Kukrit Pramoj”, p. 94
  2. ↑ Somporn Sangchai: Some Observations on the Elections and Coalition Formation in Thailand, 1976 , in Clark D. Neher (Ed.): "Modern Thai Politics: From Village to Nation", Schenkmann Publishing, Cambridge (Mass.) 1979, p. 378
  3. ^ A b Political Parties , in: Barbara Leitch LePoer (Ed.): "Thailand: A Country Study", GPO for the Library of Congress, Washington 1987.
  4. ^ J. Denis Derbyshire, Ian Derbyshire: Political systems of the world , Chambers, 1989, p. 122
  5. ↑ Erik Kuhonta: The Institutional Imperative. The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia. Stanford University Press, 2011, p. 154.
  6. ^ Richard F. Doner, Anek Laothamatas: Thailand. Economic and Political Gradualism. In: Voting for Reform. Democracy, Political Liberalization, and Economic Adjustment. Oxford University Press, 1994, p. 417.
  7. ↑ Erik Kuhonta: The Institutional Imperative. The Politics of Equitable Development in Southeast Asia. Stanford University Press, 2011, pp. 157-158.
  8. ↑ George E. DeLury: World Encyclopedia of Political Systems & Parties. Volume 2, Facts on File, 1983, p. 1015.
  9. ↑ Pasuk Phongpaichit, Chris Baker : Chao Sua, Chao Pho, Chao Thi. Lords of Thailand's Transition. In: Money & Power in Provincial Thailand. NIAS Publishing, Copenhagen 2000, p. 39.
  10. ^ Steven Erlanger: For Thai Politician, a Break From Retirement. In: The New York Times , September 30, 1990.
  11. ↑ James P. LoGerfo: Beyond Bangkok. The Provincial Middle Class in the 1992 Protests. In: Money & Power in Provincial Thailand. NIAS Publishing, Copenhagen 2002, p. 262.
  12. ↑ David Murray: Angels and devils. Thai Politics from February 1991 to September 1992, a Struggle for Democracy? White Orchid Press, 1996, p. 206.
  13. ^ Marvin Levine: Worker Rights and Labor Standards in Asia's Four New Tigers. New York, NY: Plenum Press 1997, p. 224, ISBN 0306454777 .
  14. ↑ Federico Ferrara: Thailand Unhinged. The Death of Thai-Style Democracy. Equinox Publishing, Singapore 2011, p. 33.
  15. ^ Thailand: Electoral Timing. Oxford Analytica, July 14, 1999.
  16. ↑ Thailand: Description of the Chartthai Party and the Social Action Party and their present status (2002-2003). ( Memento from May 20, 2007 in the web archive archive.today ) Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Ottawa, October 23, 2003.
  17. ↑ ปิด ตำนาน 'พรรค กิจสังคม' สิ้น สภาพ ความ เป็น พรรคการเมือง [Pit Tamnan 'Phak Kit Sangkhom' Sin Saphap Khwam-Pen Phak Kan Mueang; End of a legend - the Social Action Party ceases to exist as a political party]. MThai, October 20, 2018.

literature

  • Michael Leifer: Dictionary of the modern politics of South-East Asia . London: Routledge 1996. ISBN 0-415-13821-3 . Article: "Social Action Party".