Political scientists yesterday expressed confidence that the March 24 general election would proceed as planned after concerns grew over army chief Gen Apirat Kongsompong's strong outbursts against proposed defence budget cuts by political parties.
Chulalongkorn University political scientist Chaiyan Chaiyaporn said such concerns were likely to be short-lived, noting the country's military spending when compared with other Asean countries is not that high.
He also said the country is well on its way to the general election with Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha accepting an invitation to run for the prime ministerial post under the Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) banner.
Gen Apirat drew strong criticism when he responded to Pheu Thai's pledge to cut the defence budget and end conscription by recommending party chiefs listen to the song Nak Phandin -- a right-wing, anti-communist song associated with the massacre of students and activists on Oct 6, 1976.
He said post-election government stability should be a cause for concern due to the election rules which would prevent a political party from either camp -- pro-regime or anti-regime -- from winning a landslide victory.
"There is a very slim chance of any single party winning a majority of seats in the House. If Gen Prayut is appointed as prime minister with support from the Senate, the government will face a legitimacy problem and may be a minority government. Even if the PPRP wins most seats, other parties will cry foul," he said. He added that it would be best for all concerned to accept the results of the general election and let the political party with the most seats form a government.
Yutthaporn Isarachai, a political scientist from Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University, echoed Mr Chaiyan's views that the post-election political situation is a more pressing issue than whether or not the polls would take place.
"There is a small chance that we will have a stable government under the new election system. We may see negotiations and lobbying among political parties to secure 250 House seats to form a government," he said.
Sukhum Nuansakul, a former rector of Ramkhamhaeng University, said the public was paranoid because they do not trust the military, but he believed the polls would proceed.
"Opinion polls indicate the public is up for this with 90% saying they will cast ballots. We've gained the momentum and it cannot be stopped," he said.
