political education: the role of political parties in ... · political education for their members...

Silpakorn University Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities, and ArtsVol.16(3) : 157 - 194, 2016

Political Education: The Role of Political Parties in Educating Civil Society on Politics

Punchada Sirivunnabood

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol UniversityCorresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract Thisstudyusesextensivefieldresearchtocompareandcontrastthepoliticaleducationthatpoliticalpartiesprovidefortheirmembersandpeople.Theresearcherfocusesontwopoliticalparties:theDemocratPartyandthePueaFahDinPartybasedonfourimportantreasons:1)bothpartieshaveconstantlyplayedsignificantrolesinThaipoliticsforalongperiodoftime;2)bothpartieshaveapparentorganizationandinternalstructure;3)bothpartieshavetheaccuratenumberofpartymembersaswellaspartybranchesinthepastyears;and4)bothpartieshaveorganizedmoreorlesspoliticaleducationfortheirpartymembersandthepublic.Theresearchresultrevealsthatduetothedifferencesintheobjectivesofpartyformation,political ideology, political participation and the strategy to recruitmembers, the twopartiesexperiencedistinctiveprocedures toconductpoliticaleducationfor theirmembersandpublic ingeneral.While thePueaFahDinPartywasfoundedandhasbeenworkingwiththeAsokeCommunityasameanstorepresentAsokeinpoliticsratherthanwinningtheelections,theDemocratPartywasfoundedbypoliticalelitesandaimstowintheelections.Asaresult,thePueaFahDinPartyconductactivitiesonpolitical education inorder to strengthenparty’s ideologyamongmembers.TheDemocratParty, on theother hand, organizepoliticalactivitiestoeducationpeopleingeneralaboutparty’spolicywithahopetowintheelections.

Keywords: Political Party; Political Ideology;Asoke; Political Education;Thailand

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Introduction This research aims to compare and contrast the provision ofpoliticaleducationbetweentheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyintermsofapproachesandeffectivenessofpoliticaleducationprovisionforpartymembersand thepublic.The researcher studied these twopoliticalpartiesowingtothefourimportantreasonswhichare(1)bothpartieshaveplayedsignificantrolesinThaipoliticsforalongperiodof time. Although Puea Fah Din Party was established in 2000,but it is a smallpartywhichhasbeenprolongedgrowingalongsideThailand unlike other small political parties that tended to bedissolved after the election. Moreover, Peua Fah Din Party hasplayed a significant role in political activities, especially duringthe political crises in Thailand; (2) Both parties had establishedapparentorganizationalmanagementand internalstructures. Inotherwords, theyhadoffices, staffs,partybranches, andwithin thepartybranches, there were authentic party branch executives, staff andofficesunlikeothersmallpoliticalpartiesthatestablishedpartybranches,but in some areas, their offices and staff are not existed; (3)Bothpartieshave a stable amountof partymembers throughout thepasteight years.; (4) Both partieshave provided more or less politicaleducationfor theirpartymembersandgeneralpeople.This research,therefore,hadformulatedfourimportantobjectivesasfollows: 1.TocompareandcontrastthecurrentsituationoftheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyonhowtoprovidepoliticaleducationfortheirpartymembers,partysupporters,andthepublicingeneral. 2.To study the effectiveness of political education programsprovidedbythetwopoliticalpartiesforthepublic. 3.Toexaminetheroleofpoliticaleducationforpartymemberstowardstheestablishmentofpartyaffiliation. 4.Toexploretherelationshipbetweenpoliticaleducationprovidedbythepartiesandhowthatpoliticaleducationstimulatepartymembers,partysupporters,andpeopletoparticipateinpolitics.

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Review Literature General Knowledge about Political Education and Political Parties Political Education “Political education” is often perceived as a part of politicalsocializationinthefieldofeducationandpoliticalscience.Itisacrucialelementfordevelopingandstrengtheningdemocraticsocietiesaswellasaprerequisitetoolforthepoliticalparties’accomplishment.Intheareaofeducation,accordingtoKennethPrewitt,theCarnegieProfessorofPublicAffairs andVice-President forGlobalCenters,ColumbiaUniversity,programsofpoliticaleducationareservedasthefoundationofinstillingthevaluesappropriateforthecitizens(1971).Ontheotherhand,politicalscientistsreferittoaframeworkofthegovernment’sactivitiesaimedformobilizing the tasksofnation-buildingandpublic inclusion, includingthepoliticalparties’activities(Olaniyi,2001).That is tosay,politicaleducationinfluencesandshapespeoplepoliticallyasactivemembersofasocialandpoliticalsystem(KASYP,n.d.).WestheimerandKahne(2004)stated in their studycalled “Educating the “Good”Citizen:PoliticalChoices and PedagogicalGoals” that political education focuses onlearninghowthedemocraticsystemofgovernmentworks,aimsatteachinghowinterestgroupspursuetheirgoals,andanalyzespowerprocessesinpolitical,economicandotherinstitutions.Inthisresearch,theconceptofpoliticaleducationis,hence,definedasaweaponofpoliticalintegrationthatconnectsnationalcitizensingeneralwiththepoliticalparties.Thedistinctionbetweenpoliticaleducationandcitizenshipeducationisthatthe lattercomprisesbothpoliticalandmoraleducation.However, it isoftenconcludedthatpoliticaleducation is relevant tovotereducation,electoralelection,andcitizenshipeducation. Different frompolitical education, “voter education” refers toactivitiesdesignedforassistingtheelectionadministrationtodeliverafree,fair,efficientandcost-effectiveelection.Itprovidesthebasicvoterinformationlikebackgroundattitudes,behavior,andknowledgeamongthecitizens inorder tovoteproperlyandrecognize the importanceof


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participatinginelections,especiallyincomplywithbasichumanrightsand voting rights, the role, responsibilities and rights of voters, therelationshipbetweenelectionsanddemocracy,andtheconditionsnecessaryfordemocraticelections.Thisalsoincludestheeducationonapeacefulelection, acceptanceof the results, and toleranceof competition andopposition(ACEElectoralKnowledgeNetwork,2012).Otherbasicvoterinformationcomprisesof“thedate,time,andplaceofvoting,thetypeofelection, identification necessary to establish eligibility, registrationrequirements,andmechanismsforvoting”.Theseconstitutebasicfactsabouttheelectionanddonotrequiretheexplanationofconcepts(Ibid).Votereducation isalsocrucial forpoliticalpartiesbecause itaims topromoteelectoralaccountabilityinwhichvotersareencouragedtousecampaignsasfavorablecircumstancestovoicetheirdemandstocandidates.Forexample,votereducationactivitiescould includemeetingswherevotersquestioncandidates,andradioorTVshowswherestudioaudiencesandphonecallerscansendintheirinquiriestothecandidates(Charney,2003). “Electoraleducation”issometimesreferredtovotereducation,butactuallyitisabroadertermwhichinvolvesnotonlycurrenteligiblevoters,butalso futurecitizens in theeducation thatcoversall theaspectsofelections.Similartovotereducation,electoraleducationfocusesonvoter’smotivation and preparation to the full participation in elections. Itsprogramsaimtopointoutmorecomplicatedtypesofinformationaboutvoterandelectoralprocesses,forinstance,howvotestranslateintoseats;thiskindofquestioncannotbeansweredjustbylookingatastatementoffacts,butneed learners’ insightfulexplorationandanalysis.However,electoraleducationdemandsmoreleadtimeforpracticalexercisesratherthanjustvoterinformation,andshouldbelaunchedonanin-progressbasis(InternationalInstituteforDemocracyandElectoralAssistance,2006). “Civiceducation”isevenmoreextendedtermcomparedtovotereducationandelectoraleducationbecauseitismorecontinualandpracticedinalongerrun.Inotherwords,itisnottiedtotheelectoralcycleonly.Civiceducation,whichissometimescalled“citizenshipeducation”,covers


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moreextensiveconceptsconstructingademocraticsociety.Thisincludestherelevantrolesandresponsibilitiesofcitizens,government,politicalandspecial interests, themassmedia,and thebusinessandnon-profitsectors,andtheimportanceofperiodicandcompetitiveelections.Thereare threecorecomponentsofciviceducationwhichemphasizecitizenawarenessandcitizenparticipation:civicknowledge,civicdispositionorvalues,andcivicskills.Alloftheseelementshelppeopleacquireknowledgeandskillsnecessaryforbecominginformed,competentcitizens.Unlikevotereducationandelectoraleducation,civiceducationisnotnecessarilycarriedoutbytheelectionauthority(InternationalInstituteforDemocracyandElectoralAssistance,2006). Political Educators Generally,highereducationinstitutionsworldwideareknowntobewherepoliticalideologiesareshapedandembedded.Studentsaretaughttobepoliticallyeducatedandactive,andhaveinfluencedpoliticswithintheiruniversitiesand in theircountriesaltogether.Therefore, teachersmustbepoliticallyskillfulandknowledgeableforsocializingtheirstudentspolitically (Boaduo, 2013). Factors affecting political education andsocializationinhighereducationinstitutionsarecurriculum,media,peerinfluenceandlecturers.Politicaleducationinhighereducationisformallytransmitted through theofficialcurriculum,especially inprimaryandsecondaryschoolswherecivicsorgovernmentistaughtasapartofsocialstudiessubject(Boaduo,2013). Anothermajorpoliticaleducator,particularlyinthefieldofvotereducation,istheelectionofficialsfromthenationalelectionauthority.Normally,electionofficialswillassignstafftoorganizeandrunvotereducationandinformationprogramsinplaceoftheelectionauthority.Accordingly,therewillbestaffappointedwiththespecificfunction,forexample,mediarelations,electionofficialandpollworkertraining,andhuman relations management. Furthermore, there will be thecommissioners and executive officers who will play a publiccommunications role. Communications and the development of aneducation program will influence the perceptions, attitudes, and


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knowledgeofvoters(ACEElectoralKnowledgeNetwork,2012). Aboveall,politicalpartiescannotavoiddedicatingthemselvestothepoliticaleducationandtrainingoftheirmembersinordertodealwithmodern mass democracies, including everyday social changes anddevelopments.Thepartiesnecessarilyequipthemselveswithconsistentknowledgeandskillsforpreparingtheirrepresentativesandmemberstofacewithnewchallengesandspeculate their responsibilitywithinandbeyondtheparty(KASYP,n.d.). Inbrief,politicaleducationactivitiescantakeplacethroughanyformalinstitutionssuchasschools,universities,massmediaormembershipin groups and organizations to encourage and foster the citizens toparticipateattentivelyinpoliticalandsocialrealms(KASYP,n.d.).Thisisbecausepoliticalandvotereducationisacostlyactivityifitissolelyprovidedby theelectionmanagementauthority.Usually, theelectionmanagementauthoritywillpickwaystointroduceregulations,incentives,and information thatonly theycanoffer (ACEElectoralKnowledgeNetwork,2012). Political Parties A“politicalparty”isdefinedasanorganizationwhichiswillingtopromote the national interest based on their popular preferences orparticularprinciples inwhichallmembersagreed,andcontestsfor thecontrolofthechiefpolicybymakingofficesofgovernment(Rose,1976;Harris,1979).Nonetheless,itshouldbenotedthattheultimateintentionofapoliticalparty isnotalways toservefor thenational interestbutsectionalinterestbycontrollingpoliticalpowerafterwinningtheelections(Olaniyi,2001).Thisisbecausedemocraticpoliticalpartiescompeteandseektowinelectionsinordertotakecontrolofgovernmentinstitutions.Theyofferadiversityofpublicpolicyproposalsandoptionsforgovernancewhich are shaped by citizens’ preferences through their choices ofcandidatesandpolicies.On theotherhand, theycan toughennationalpolitical institutionswhen presenting these policies at elections andmobilizecitizensinthenameofthenationalinterest(NationalDemocraticInstitute,2008).


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Moreover,politicalpartiesareavitalelementof representativedemocracy.Sincedemocraticpoliticalpartiescompeteandpursuetheirgoaltowinelectionsinordertoadministergovernmentinstitutions.Theyproposealternativepublicpolicieswhichareconstructedbasedoncitizens’preferencesaswellasoffernumerousoptionsforgovernance,forexample,abroadrangeofalternativecandidatesandpolicies.Inotherwords,partiescan ensure that “elections are true expressions of the popularwill”(NationalDemocratic Institute,2008).Moreover, theycanstrengthennationalpoliticalinstitutionsandmobilizecitizenstowardthevisionofthenationalinterest.Moreimportantly,whilepoliticalpartiescanemergewithoutdemocracy,democracycannotbecomesuccessfulwithoutpoliticalparties(ACEElectoralKnowledgeNetwork,2012). Inbrief, “political educationwithin thepoliticalparty” is alsospecificallydefinedastheactivitiesorganizedbyapoliticalpartywiththepurposeofkeepingtheelectoratesknowabouttheircivicresponsibilitiesandpartyprogramselaboratelyinthisresearch(Olaniyi,2001).Politicalpartiesalsoofferarangeofnon-politicalbenefitsaswell,forinstance,socialactivities,recognitionandstatusforpeopleandgroups,andasenseofsecurity,connectedness,andpower(Johnston,1949).Goodpoliticalpartiesmusthavecodesofconduct,basicdisclosurerequirements,financialaudits,autonomousdisciplinarycommittees,trainingandethicaleducationactivities,monitoringandevaluationprocedures,andtermlimitsforpartyleaderstostrengtheninternaldemocracy,accountability,andtransparencyintheirpartystructuresanddecision-makingprocesses(Thornton,2001). Functions of Political Parties Based on the study entitled “Political Parties: Functions andOrganizationinDemocraticSocieties”writtenbyWilhelmHofmeisterandKarstenGrabow(2011),politicalpartiesmustembraceaseriesoffunctionsinordertoengageinthepoliticalsystemsuccessfullyandtobringthereinforcementofdemocracyasdescribedbelow. Thefirstfunctionisso-called‘functionofpoliticaldecision-making’.Politicalpartiesexpresspublicexpectationsanddemandsorinterestsofthesociety to thepolitical realm.Thesecondfunction is ‘functionof


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selection’.Politicalpartieshavehighpotential in recruitingpoliticalpersonnelandnurturingthemtobepoliticiansbyselectingandpresentingthemaselectoralcandidates.Thethirdfunctionisthe‘politicalintegration’.Politicalpartiesintegratedifferentideasorconcernsofgeneralpublicintoapoliticalproject,andcampaigntheminordertocheckthefeedbackfromthemajority.Thefourthfunctioniscalled‘functionofsocializationandparticipation’.Politicalpartieslinkthecitizensandthepoliticalsystemtogether.Theyalso raisepublicparticipation in thepolitics.Thefifthfunction is ‘functionof exercisingpolitical power’. Political partiesorganizethegovernmentbyparticipatinginelectionsinordertooccupypoliticalpositions,especially in representativedemocracies inwhichgovernmentauthoritiesgenerallyemerge from theseparties.The lastfunction is ‘function of legitimating’. Political parties promote thelegitimacyofthepoliticalsystembyfortifyingthepoliticalorderinthecitizens’sensibility.The third, fourth,andsixthfunctionsarepartsofpoliticaleducation.Moreover,oppositionpartiesarealsospecificallyresponsibleforcriticizingthegovernment,controllingit,andharboringconstructivechoices.Theyplaytheroleofanalternativegovernmentaswellastheroleofagovernmentinwaitingsimultaneously.Thesefunctionsare important for democratic societies because the citizens needrepresentativestovoicetheirdisagreementagainstthegovernmentandsafeguardtheirinterests. Whenconsideringtheirpoliticalprogramsexplicitly,therearetwofunctionsclearlyarisenfromthem:first,thearticulationofpublicinterests,andsecond,theorientationandinfluenceofthecitizens’opinions.Apartfrombasicfunctionsofpartyprogramssuchasidentifyingthepartiesandguiding principles and ideas of the parties in order to differentiatethemselvesfromtheothers,somepoliticalpartieshavespecialprogramsthatdefinetheirpoliticalvisionsregardingcertainpoliticalissuesand/orpolicies,forexample,economicpoliciesorenergypolicies.Theseprogramscan increase theparticipationof representativesandcitizenswhoareinterested in thosefields,strengthen therelationshipbetweenthepartyandrepresentativesfromthosesectors,andaugment theunderstanding


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towardthoseissuesamongthemembers.Anotherspecialprogramistheelectoralprogramwhichcontainsproposalsanddemandsinregardtothefutureactivities thatpartiesmaypromoteafterwinning theelections.Politicalprogramsarealsodesignedtopreparepoliticalworkwithinthepartiesaswellaspoliticalfunctionsintheparliamentsuchaspoliticalrhetoric,media control,membership promotion, and partyfinancing(HofmeisterandGrabow,2011).Theseprogramsareconstitutedtopoliticaleducation. Inanotherresearchentitled“TheChangeofFunctionofPoliticalPartiesattheTurnofMillennium”,Simon(2003)studiesthefunctionsofpoliticalpartieswhichincludepoliticaleducationprovision.Inrelationtopoliticaleducation, thereare twomainfunctionsofpoliticalpartiessuchaspoliticalmobilizationandpoliticalparticipation,andrepresentativefunction.First,politicalparties involvepeople intopublic life throughpoliticalmobilizationaimingfor thedecline insocial tensionsandtheincreaseofvotesfromthegroupstructure theyhavebuiltup. Inotherwords,politicalparties’goalistoformandinfluencethepoliticaleventsensuringpoliticaldemocracyandcompetencewithinthem.Second,thereare two main methods of political participation which are activeparticipationandpassiveparticipation.Activeparticipationisprovidedthroughtheconcretepartyactivities,leaderelection,demonstrations,andpoliticaldebateswhilepassiveparticipationisapoliticalactivityorganizedbycitizensaimingto influencethedecision-makingin leaderselectionandpartyactivities.Theclearestpoliticalparticipationrelatedtopartypoliticsisvoting. Accordingtoanotherresearchentitled“PoliticalPartiesandPoliticalIssues inThailand”writtenbyPreechaHongkrailert (2524), therearesevenfunctionsofpoliticalpartieswhichare(1) functionofpoliticaleducation,(2)functionofselection,(3)functionofinterpartycoordination,(4)functionofpolitical integration,(5)functionof theopposition,(6)functionofcentralization,and(7)functionofleadership.Thefunctionsaredescribedindetailasfollows. First,oneof themainfunctionsofpoliticalparties is toprovide


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politicaleducation.Inthedemocraticsystem,politicalpartiesmustprovidepoliticaleducationfor thecitizensbecause togovernacountryneedscollaborationfromeverycitizennot justagrouporaclassofcitizens.Therearemanyformsofpoliticaleducationactivitiessuchaspolicyannouncementsbypoliticalparties in thefieldofeconomics,politics,education,nationalsecurity,andothersocialissues,promotionviamassmedia(i.e.newspapers,radio,televisions,journal,andpublications),directaccesstocitizens(i.e.publicdiscussions,speeches,forums),andsoon.Moreover, political partiesmust provide political knowledge in thedemocratic systemaccurately and rightfully, for example, encouragepoliticalconsciousnessandpoliticalparticipationbyencouraging thecitizenstovoteforpoliticalpartiesthatpromotetheirpreferablepoliciesinsteadofvotingforan individualaswellas toobserve theelectoralenvironmentandreportwheneverthevotefraudisfound. Second,anotherfunctioniscalled‘functionofselection’inwhichpoliticalpartiesareresponsibleforrecruitinghighpotentialpersonsasmembersoftheHouseofRepresentative.Inthedemocraticsystem,thequalitiesofthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentativeareveryimportantbecausetheyarethecitizens’representativeswhowillprotectthepublicinterestaswellasotherstakeholdersinaccordancetotheintentionofthevoters as much as possible. Therefore, members of the House ofRepresentativemustdedicatetothepublicinterestandberesponsibleforthecommonwealth.Theymusthavecertaincapabilitiesandexperiencesintermsofbeingagoodrepresentativeoftheentirepopulation.Asaresult,itisdifficulttofindsuchapersonwhohasallofthesequalities.PoliticalpartiesarethebestfilteringagencieswhocanselectthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentativewithfullresources.Ontheelectiondays,citizensshouldmaketheirdecisionsbasedonthepoliciesofeachpoliticalpartythatbenefitthemthemostinsteadofconsideringthecandidatesindividually.Inordertodoso,theymusttrustinpoliticalpartieswhohavecarefullyandthoroughlyselectedthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentative. Thethirdfunctionis‘interpartycoordination’.Politicalpartiesplayasignificant role in termsofcoordinatingotherpowerfulpartiesand


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stakeholders.Ingeneral,thepressuregroupsandbenefitgroupsaretheinfluential figures for the government in terms of public policy. Forinstance,therearetheuniversalstrikebythelaborunionanddemonstrationsbyfarmersandstudentsinordertomakesomedemandsonthegovernmentorgovernmentalofficers.Simultaneously,theemployersmaynotagreetoacceptthedemandsinordertoprotecttheirself-interests.Consequently,politicalpartiescoordinate thesebenefitgroupsbyproposingthelaborlawwhichisfairforbothsides(aswellasothergroups).Iftheproposedlaborlawisineffective,therewillbethemodificationsandamendments.Theinterest-basedcoordinationbetweenbenefitgroupscanbeconsideredasthepoliticalrelaxation. Thefourthfunctionis‘politicalintegration’.Politicalpartiesarethepowerhub in termsofpoliticssince theyare thecenterofbenefitgroupsandcitizenswhoareactiveinthefieldofpolitics,economics,andsocialissuesinordertoseekforthegovernmentalpositionsandimplementtheirpolicies togovernthecountry.Politicalparties,hence,gather theresourcestobuildthenegotiationpower,demand,andintegratetheideasofindividualsandgroupsintothegovernance.Eventhoughthepoliticalparties are not elected, they can give some advice andmake somesuggestionstothegovernmentinordertobenefitthepublic. Fifth,politicalpartiesalsoplayan important roleasoppositionparties. In the democratic system, political parties,whose only fewmembersareelectedandcannotsetupagovernment,mustactas theoppositionparties.Oppositionpartiesare importantfor thedemocraticsystembecausetheyarethe‘mirror’forthegovernmentbyreflectingwhatthegovernment lacksorwhat thegovernmentshoulddotobenefit thecitizenswhoaretheownerofthecountry.Oppositionpartieswillcriticize,oppose,ordeterthegovernmentfromoverusingtheirpowerordamagethecountryandbecomethe‘dictatorofthemajority’.Nevertheless,ifthegovernmentrulesthecountryeffectively,theotherpartiesshouldsupportthem.Inaddition,oppositionpartiesareresponsibleforcontrollingthegovernmenttoperformaccordingtothepoliciestheyhaveproposedtotheparliament.InEngland,theoppositionpartyispraisedandrespected


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atthesamelevelasthepartywhoactsasthegovernment,andiscalled‘Her Majesty’s Opposition Party’ while the party who acts as thegovernment iscalled‘HisMajesty’sGovernment’. Inotherwords, theprimeminister is‘thefirstgentleman’andthe leaderof theoppositionpartyis‘thesecondgentleman’.Bothsidesarereadytoshifttheirpositions.In otherwords, if the government fails in terms of governance, theoppositionparty is readytobe thegovernmentandtheprimeministerbecomestheoppositionparty’sleaderwhiletheoppositionparty’sleaderbecomestheprimeminister. Sixth,anotherfunctionistocentralizepowerfulpartiesandpoliticalpartymembers.Aspoliticalpartiesarethecenterofindividualsfromavarietyofoccupationalgroups,thereisthehighexposuretotheconflictsbetween ideas.Hence,politicalpartiesareactas the ‘stage’ for theirmembersaswellastheirgroupstoexpresstheiropinionsandfeelingsinordertomakeapeacefulagreementbeforebringinguptheissuestodiscussintheparliament.Therefore,politicalpartiesarethecenterofcooperatingandestablishingmutualunderstandingbetweentheirmembersaswellasbetweenpartiesandparties,partiesandthegovernment,andthegovernmentandthecitizens. Seventh,politicalpartiesare responsible fornurturingpoliticalleaders.Inademocraticcountry,politicalpartiesaretheinstitutionwhofosters thepolitical leadersasprofessionalpoliticianswhoarecapableandreadytobethepoliticalleadersindifferentlevelseffectivelysuchasprimeministers,ministers,Bangkokgovernors,mayors,councilors,andsoon.Theotherinstitutionswhoarenotpoliticalpartieslikebureaucraticagenciesshouldnothaveasmanyqualitiestonurturepoliticalleadersaspoliticalparties.This isbecause thequalitiesofpolitical leadersaredifferent fromthequalitiesofadministrative leaders. Inotherwords,governmentalofficersoradministratorsarelaw,regulation,andprotocolenforcementofficersinwhichthepoliticalsectoraretheonewhosetthemupwhilepolitical leadersare theonewho implement thepoliciesbyprioritizing thepublic interest fromthepoliticalparty’spointofview.Thus,politiciansmustunderstandhowto‘negotiate’forpoliticalinterests


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ofthecitizens,coordinate,andbuildthepeacebetweendifferentgroupsbydesigningthepoliciescautiously.Iftheybecomethegovernment,theymustimplementthesepoliciesandthegovernmentalofficerswhoaretheadministratorsmustsupportthem.Therefore,inthedemocraticsystem,politicalpartiesarethemostappropriatetraininginstitutionforfosteringpoliticalleaders. Politicalpartiesarenotonlycompetinginelections.Oneoftheirmajorfunctionsistoprovidepoliticaleducationtotheirmembersaswellasgeneralpeople.This research, therefore, aims to analyzepoliticaleducationthatthosetwopoliticalparties,DemocratPartyandPueaFahDinParty,haveprovidedtopeoplesincetheirinception.

Methods Thisresearchisaqualitativestudyexploringtherelevantliteraturesandinterviewsoftheparticipantsengaginginpoliticalparties’activities.Assuch, the researchershavestudied the relevant literaturesboth inEnglishand inThaisuchasbooks,academicarticles, journalarticles,newspapers, andprevious studies inorder touse the information forcomparativestudyandastheguidelineforadditionalinterviewswiththeinformantswhohadengagedinthetwoparties’politicalactivities. After studying the relevant literatures, the researchers haveconductedtheinterviewswithpersonnelandparticipantsengagingintheactivitiesorganizedbytheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinParty,forexample,partyadministrators,politicians,partypersonnel,party’sbranchpersonnel,scholarsinthefieldsofpoliticsandpoliticalpartysystemfromdiverseuniversities,andpersonnelfromnon-governmentalorganizationsrelated to theresearch topics, inorder to receivecorrectandaccurateinformationwhichisconformedtotheprimarilystudiedrelevantliteratures.

Research Findings Objective 1: To compare and contrast the current situation of the Democrat Party and Puea Fah Din Party on how to provide political education for their party members, party supporters, and


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the public in general. The research results on the comparative study of the Democrat Party and Puea Fah Din Party’s political education programs for party members, party supporters, and the public: Theresultsofthisresearchshowthatthedifferencesinthepurposeofpartyestablishment,durationofpoliticalactivityoperation, internalstructure,politicalideologyoftheparty,andobjectivesofthepoliticaloperationof the twoparties led to thedifferences in theprogramsofpoliticaleducationandpoliticalactivityoperationsforpartymembers,party supporters, and the public. The researcher had analyzed theaforementionedpointsbasedonthekeyissuesasfollows. 1) Party Policies toward the formation of political education programs:theDemocratPartyhasnotidentifiedclearapproachesfortheprovisionofpoliticaleducationforthepublicintheirPartyRegulations,but organized their political activities based on the party policy forelections.Therefore,theprovisionofpoliticaleducation,forpartymembersand thepublic,of theDemocratPartywasoperatedalongwithotherpolitical activityarrangements, especially theactivities thatElectionCommissionofThailandarrangedsuchaspartyconventions,partygeneralassemblies,orextraordinarygeneralmeetingsofpartybranches.Alotofparty members or party branch members had to participate in theaforementionedactivitiesas theyweregreatopportunities toprovidepoliticaleducationtotheirpartymembersatthesametime.Theactivitiesof the political educational programmostlywere speeches on stageprincipallyconcerningmajorpoliticalissuesatthemomentpresentingbythepopularand famousmembers in theHouseofRepresentativesorpoliticiansof theparty toprovideknowledgeorshare ideasregardingimportantpoliticalissues.Nonetheless,theDemocratPartystillorganizedactivitiesthatinvolvedotherformsoftheprovisionofpoliticaleducation,butthepartydidnotarrangethoseactivitiesalongwiththeaforementionedannualactivities,forexample,theDemocratPartyassemblyemphasizingtheformulationofrecommendationsforimplementingelectionpoliciesof thepartywhile informing theirmembersand thepublicabout the


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approachesanddirectionofthepartypolicies.Moreover,theDemocratPartyalsohadotheractivitiesfocusingontheyounggenerationsocalledtheYongDemocratProgram.TheseactivitieshadbeencontinuouslypopularizedamongyoungpeopleinmanygeographicareasinThailand.Theinformationofthisprogramwillbediscussedinthefollowingsection. Ontheotherhand,thePueaFahDinPartyexperiencesdifferentpoliticalactivityarrangementsandpoliticaleducationprogramsforpartymembers.Thepartydoesnotorganizepoliticalactivitiesandeducationbasedon thepartypolicy forelections. Instead, thepartyhasclearlyindicatedintheSection4,Article23intheirPartyRegulationsthatthepartymustprovidepoliticaleducationfortheirmembersandthepublicingeneralforbetterunderstandingamongpartymembersandthepublicwhichwillstrengthenconstitutionalmonarchyintheparliamentsystem.Therefore, the party had defined their sixmajor approaches for thedevelopmentofpoliticaleducationforpartymembersandthepublicasfollows: “(1) Provide the personnelwho are expert in each professiondisciplinetotrainpartymembersandthepublic. (2)Collectanddistributepolitical,economicandsocialinformationtoraiseawarenessamongpartymemberandthepublicbyincreasingtheirpoliticalparticipation. (3)Promoteandsupport thegatheringof localcommunities toacquireknowledgeabouttherightsandlocalresourcepreservationaswellasfosterpoliticalideologiesandrightsamongthem. (4) Promote the integration of profession disciplines for theregularlyexchangeandsharingofpoliticalideasandknowledgebetweenpartypersonnel. (5)Broadcastpoliticalknowledgeorpoliticalactivitiesviamassmedia. (6)Encouragepartymembersandthepublictoattendpoliticaldebatesandlectures.”TheregulationsdescribedaboveshowtheclearvisionofthePueaFahDinPartythataimstoprovidepoliticaleducationforthepublic.Moreover,


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the party had implemented the aforestated approaches for providingpolitical knowledge to theirmembers and the public.Therefore, allactivities that the party had arrangedwere embeddedwith politicalknowledge,buttheywerenotorganizedalongsidewithmajoractivitiesrequiredbytheElectionCommissionofThailandunlike theDemocratParty.SincePueaFahDinPartywassupportedbyAsokeCommunitiesinmanyprovincesso theycouldcontinuouslyorganize theactivitiestogetherwiththecooperationoftheAsokeCommunitiesineveryarea.Furthermore,themajorityofAsokeCommunitymemberswerealsoPeuaFahDinPartymemberssothatthosemembersalwaysparticipatedinthepartyactivitiesoneveryoccasion. 2) The Organization of Activities Providing Education for Young People Inadditiontotheprovisionofpoliticaleducationforpartymembersand the public, both parties also hadpolicies regarding the politicaleducationprogramsforyoungpeople.However,thedifferencesinpoliticalideologies,partystructures,andpoliciesbetweentheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyledtothedifferentapproachesandprocessesoftheirpoliticaleducationprovisionforyoungpeople. In termsofprovidingpoliticaleducation foryoungpeople, theDemocratPartyhadorganizedYoungDemocratProgramthatemphasizedtheestablishmentofpoliticaleducationcampsforyoungpeoplewhowereinterestedinpolitics.Theactivitywasoftenheldfor3-5daysdependingontheareas.Theproject’soperationsinvolvedthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentativesorthepartypoliticianstodiscussorgiveaspeechoninterestingpoliticalissuesforyoungpeopleparticipatingintheprojectaswellasorganizefieldtripstoimportantpoliticalsitessuchastheparliament,governmenthouse,courts,andsoon. TheYoungDemocratProgramwasnotorganizedonlyinBangkok,butalsoinotherareasofthecountrywherethepartybranchessupportedthisprograminordertogiveopportunitiestoyoungpeopleindifferentareastolearnmoreaboutpoliticsandtheparty.Moreimportantly,thisprogramalsoallowtheyounggenerationparticipatingintheprogramtomeettheDemocratpoliticiansandfamousparliamentarians.Thisprogram


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couldalsobeanapproachtorecruitingnewpoliticalgenerationof thepartythatwouldstrengthenthepartyorganizationinthefuture. Puea FahDinParty’s approaches of the provision of politicaleducationforyoungpeopleisdifferentfromtheDemocratParty.Strictlyspeaking,thepartyhadprovidedpoliticaleducationtoyounggenerationsincetheywerelittleupuntiltheyenteredtheir20jobbasesthatAsokeCommunitieshadfounded.PueaFahDinPartyprovidedpoliticaleducationbydeepening theknowledgewhileworking in the jobbasesofAsokeCommunitiesineachprovince.DuetotheclosebondsbetweenAsokeCommunitiesandtheparty,mostoftheyoungpeopleinthepartylivedinandstudiedatAsokeschools,sotherewasnodifficultyinfosteringmerit-basedpoliticaleducationofAsokeCommunityamongtheyoungpeople.TheschoolsinAsokeCommunitiesprovidedpoliticalknowledgetostudentsinthemorningsbylettingthemwatchingBunniyomTVandnewsfromothergeneralchannelsandlisteningtoSamanaBodhiraksa’steachingsintheeveningstowardlivebroadcastsonTVsorathisplace.Therefore,whenanypoliticaleventoccurred,younggenerationin thePueaFahDinPartyandAsokeCommunityquicklyunderstoodwhatwashappeningandwerereadytoparticipateinpoliticalactivitieswithotherpartymembersoneveryoccasion.Insomeareas,theyoungpeopleinthePueaFahDinPartyandAsokeCommunityhelpedthepartymemberstocampaignduringelectionperiods.ThismeansthatmostofthemunderstoodthepoliticalcontextofthecountrybetterthancommonyoungpeopleinothersocietiesinThailandduetotheirsteadyacknowledgementandstudyofpoliticalissues,unlikeotheryoungpeoplewhoparticipatedinorlearnedpoliticsfromtimetotimeorwhentherewerepoliticalactivitieswiththeirfavoritepoliticalpartiesonly. 3) Approaches of Political Education Provision for Party Members and the PublicTheprovisionsofpoliticaleducationforpartymembersandthepublicofferedbytheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyweredifferent.TheDemocratPartyprovidedpoliticaleducationtothepublicandorganizedpoliticalactivitiesasrequiredbytheElectionCommissionofThailandandPartyPoliciesatthesametime,especially


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duringtheelectionperiods.Duetothebudgetlimit,theDemocratPartyorganizedtheactivitiestoprovidepoliticaleducationforthepublicandpartymembersonlywhen theyhadgeneralassemblies,partybranchmeetingsor seminars at provincial level as requiredby thePoliticalActivityRegulationsoftheElectionCommissionofThailand.Thepoliticaleducationactivitiesweremostlypoliticalspeechesordiscussionswiththeparticipants.However,theDemocratPartyalsoorganizedotheractivitiessuchas theDemocratPartyassemblies,BlueNightballs,coffeehouseforums,andsoon.Theseactivitieshaddifferentobjectives;theDemocratPartyassemblieswerearrangedtocollectingpubliccommentsabouttheproblemsinthecountryandapplytheinformationtoimplementelectionandgovernance;theBlueNightballswerearrangedforfundingtheparty’senhancement,electionrunning,andotherpartyactivities;coffeehouseforumsweretheplacesforpartybranchesineachareatogiveopportunitiestopartymembersandthepublicwhosupportedtheparty toshareandexchangetheirpoliticideas(however, thecoffeehouseforumswerenolongerorganizedatthemoment).TheactivitiesthatwereorganizedbesidestheactivitiesrequiredbytheregulationsoftheElectionCommissionofThailandusuallyreceivedsupportingfundsfromthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentativesand localpoliticians.Therewerealso thepoliticaleducationactivities,includingthesharingandexchangeofpoliticalideasbetweenthepartyrepresentativesandtheparticipants. Ontheotherhand,thepoliticaleducationactivitiesofthePeuaFahDinPartyprovidedforthepublicwerenotorganizedinthesimilarwayasintheDemocratParty’s,buttheyconstantlyorganizedtheactivitiestoprovidemerit-basedpoliticaleducation to theirpartymembers.Suchactivitieswere embeddedwithmerit-based principles towardAsokeCommunity’s jobbases.Whileworking ineach jobbase, theyhad tosacrificeandtrainthemselvestodealwithproblemsthatmightoccurineachjobbase,forexample,therewouldsomeconflictsbetweenmembersinsomejobbasesandtheleadersofeachjobbasemusttrainthemselvestosolvetheseproblems.Duringtheirtrainingineachjobbase,theworkershad to share their outputs to the others without considering about


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compensationsorself-interests.Forinstance,theearningsfromtheirworkmustbedistributedandsharedtothemembersofAsokeCommunitiesandthe public for free; such practice taught them to genuinely devotethemselvestothepublicinthesamewayaspoliticswhichisthegenuinepublicservice.Therefore,thetrainingatthejobbasesbasedonmeritistapproachescouldhelpthepartymembersofthePueaFahDinPartytotrulylearnhowtodedicatethemselvestothepublicwhentheyworkinthefieldofpoliticsinthefuture. Asidefromthejobbases,PeuaFahDinPartyalsoprovidedpoliticaleducationtothemembersthroughtheteachingsofSamanaPhotirakandthepartyandAsokeCommunity’snewsandmediachannelsindifferentareas.PueaFahDinPartyandAsokeCommunitymembersmustlistentotheteachingsofSamanaBodhiraksaintheevenings.SomemembersmaynotresideintheareawhereSamanaBodhiraksaresided,buttheystillcanwatchBunniyomTVorlistentotheradiotofollowuptheteachings.SinceSantiAsokeCommunityandPueaFahDinPartyhadthesameideathatreligionandpoliticsmustgotogetherandcannotbeseparated,SamanaBodhiraksa had added political issues, especially about the politicalsituationsandtheinvolvementofAsokeCommunityinthepoliticalevents,inhisteachings.Forexample,in2013,PueaFahDinPartymembershadgathered under the name of “DharmaArmy” to protest against thegovernment as Samana Bodhiraksa and the leaders of the AsokeCommunitiesallagreedthatthegovernmentwasleadingthecountrytothepoliticalandeconomiccollapse.Therefore,SamanaBodhiraksaandotherBuddhistmonkswerecooperatedwiththeAsokeCommunityandPueaFahDinPartymembers.SamanaBodhiraksamotivatedPueaFahDinPartyandAsokeCommunitymemberstoparticipateinpoliticalmobwiththeirmerit-basedideology. 4) Political Concepts and Context in terms of Political Education Provision for the Public.TheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyhaddifferentconceptsoftheprovisionofpoliticaleducationforthepublic.DuetothefactthattheDemocratPartydidnothaveclearpoliticalideology,thecontentofknowledgethattheDemocratPartyinstructedthepublic


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duringthepoliticaleducationactivitiesforthepublicwasmostlyrelatedtothecontemporarypoliticalsituationsaswellasthepartypoliciesusedinelectioncampaignsandpoliticalandadministrativemistakesinthepastof rivalparties.Thiscanbefrequentlynoticedby thespeechesof themembersintheHouseofRepresentativesandpoliticiansoftheDemocratPartywhentheywereonstageinmanyareas.Nevertheless,thecontextoftheDemocratParty’sprovisionofpoliticaleducationforyoungpeoplemaybedifferentfromtheprovisionofeducationfortheirpartymembersandthepublic.Thiswasbecausethepartyprovidedthepoliticaleducationforyoungpeoplebyemphasizingthenurturingofpoliticalparticipationintheprivatesectorandcreationofahigh-qualifiedpoliticaldevelopmentwithoutcorruptionforthelattergenerations. TheapproachesofPueaFahDinParty’spoliticaleducationprovisionfor thepublicweredifferentfromtheDemocratParty.ThecontentofknowledgethatPueaFahDinPartyprovidedtothepublicandtheirpartymembersmostlyemphasizedmerit-basedprinciplesduetothefactthatPueaFahDinPartwasanorganizationwhichwasestablishedandsupportedbyAsokeCommunityandrespectedSamanaBodhiraksa,oneoftheleadersoftheparty.Therefore,theyhadappliedmeritismwhichistheprincipleofAsokeCommunitytobasicprincipleofPueaFahDinParty. Theprovisionofpoliticaleducationfortheirpartymembersandthepublic,nomatteritisthelearningfromjobbases,thepartypoliciesorcommunitymedia,wasalwaysembeddedwithmeritism.Meritismisthebasic ideaandpracticeof thepartymemberswhich influences thepracticeofthepartymemberstobedifferentfromotherpoliticalparties.Inotherwords,PueaFaDinPartydidnotdesirethegovernmentpositionsoravictoryduringanelection,buttheyaimedtomakegooddeedsthroughmeritisminordertogainacknowledgementandtrustfromthepublictogovernthecountry.PueaFahDinPartymembersdidnotfightforapositioninthegovernment,buttookapoliticalpositionwhenthepublicinvitedthemtoworkforthecountry.Hence,ineveryprecedingelection,PueaFahDinPartyonlysentthememberstoruntheelectionjusttofollowtheregulationsoftheElectionLawinwhicheverypartymustsendintheir


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memberstoruntheelection.Theydidnotseekforpoliticalpowertowardtheelectionunlikeotherparties. 5) The Provision of Political Education and the Sense of Membership FortheDemocratParty,duetothefactthattheirprovisionofpoliticaleducationwasprincipallyrelatedtothepoliticaldirectionindifferentperiodsoftimeandinterestedalotofpartymembersandthepublicwhosupported theparty, theirpresentationsofpolitical issuesconstantlygainedattention fromthepartysupporters.However, suchcontentmay not increase the sense ofmembership among the partymembersbecauseaftertheelectionsorpoliticaleventsthatpartymemberwereinterestedended,mostofthemembersandpartysupporterstendedtostopparticipatinginotherparty’sactivities.ThisisdifferentfromPueaFahDinParty;sincethepartywasoneofAsokeCommunityorganizations,someritismwasembeddedintheprovisionofpoliticaleducationforPueaFahDinPartymembers.Moreover,thefaithinAsokeCommunityleadersandtheteachingsofSamanaBodhiraksa,whichofteninvolvedpoliticalissues,alsopromotedthesenseofmembershipamongthepartymembers.Therefore,thepartymemberscontinuouslyparticipatedintheactivitiesoftheparty,especiallywhenthepartyprotestedagainstthegovernmentorgovernmentalpolicies. 6) The Budget for Organizing Political Education Activities for Party Members and the Public ThemainsourcesofrevenuesoftheDemocratpartyderivedfromdonationsandfinancialsupportfromthePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFund.Theaforementionedrevenueswereusedfororganizingpoliticalactivitiesoftheparty.However,thePoliticalPartyDevelopment Fund allocated the budget to political parties toorganizepoliticalactivitiesasrequiredbythePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFundDeclaration.Thepoliticalpartieshadtoorganizetheprojectsbyusingthereceivedbudget,writeareport,andreturntheleftoveroffundsbackto theFundafter theendof theprojects.Besidesfromthese twosourcesofrevenuesmentionedabove,thepoliticalactivitiesorganizedbythe Democrat Party, especially the activities organized in differentprovinces,weresupportedbythemembersoftheHouseofRepresentatives


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or localpoliticians.Although thepartyhadallocatedsomebudget fororganizingactivities topartybranches, thebudgetwasnotadequate.Therefore, themembers in theHouse of Representativesmust takeresponsibilityinfinancingpoliticaleducationactivities. MostofthepoliticaleducationactivitiesfinanciallysupportedbylocalmembersoftheHouseofRepresentativesweretheactivitiesthatthepartymembersintheHouseofRepresentativesarrangedforgettingvotesandexpandingtheirstrongholdintheirlocalareasalongsidewiththeparty.Sometimes, theactivitieswereorganizedalongwith thepartybranchassembliesineachprovinceinordertosavethebudget.Exceptduringtheelectionperiods,thepoliticaleducationactivitiesforthepublicandotherpoliticalactivitiesingeneralwereorganizedasidefromlocalpartyassemblies. ForPueaFahDinParty,thebudgetfororganizingpoliticalactivitiesatpresentmainlyreliedontheincomesofthepartyandAsokeCommunityduetothefact thatPueaFahDinPartydidnotreceivefundsfromthePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFundallocatedunlikeotherpoliticalparties.Therefore,thebudgetforparty’soperationsandactivitiesprimarilyderivedfromthesellingofBunniyomproductsanddonations.PueaFahDinPartymembersbelievedthatifthepartydesiredtoparticipateinthecountry’sgovernanceandtrulywantedtohelppeople,thepartymusttrainthemselvestosurviveontheirownbeforestartinghelpingotherpeople;thatwaswhytheynolongeracceptedthefinancialsupportfromtheFundasdiscussedabove. The activities such as political assemblies, Bunniyom TVbroadcasting,establishmentofjobbasesforteachingthemembersaboutmeritism,provisionofpoliticaleducationforyoungpeopleoftheparty,andeachteachingofSamanasforthepublic,completelydependedontherevenuesthatAsokeCommunityearned. ItcouldbeseenfromthecurrentsituationsthateventhoughtheDemocratParty andPueaFahDinparty had engaged in politics fordecades,theirpoliticalactivities,includingpoliticaleducationactivitiesforpartymembers,youngpeople,andthepublic,weregreatlydifferentduetothedifferencesinbothparties’internalstructure,policy-making


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concepts,politicalstrongholds,conceptofpoliticalparticipation,andapproachesofgainingpowertogovernthecountry;thesefactorsaffectedthecreationofpartyaffiliationofbothparties. Objective 2: To study the effectiveness of political education programs provided by the two political parties for the public. The research results illustrate an effectiveness of the political education programs for party members and party supporters between the Democrat Party and Pea Fah Din Party as following important issues: 1) The Continuity of Political Education Activities Duetothefactthatthemajorityofthepoliticalpartiesdidnothavesufficientbudgetfororganizingpoliticalactivitiesandprovidingpoliticaleducationforthepublic,mostoftheactivitiesprovidingpoliticaleducationwereoccasionallyorganized,especiallyduringtheelectionperiodsandalongsidewithpoliticalactivitiesasrequiredbythePoliticalPartyActortheElectionCommissionofThailandDeclarations.ThepoliticaleducationactivitiesoftheDemocratParty,hence,hadsomecharacteristicssimilarto other parties’. In otherwords, they organized political educationactivities for thepublicalongwithotheractivitiesas requiredby thePoliticalPartyActortheElectionCommissionofThailandDeclarations.Therefore, their political education activitieswere not regularly andcontinuouslyorganized,anddidnot trulypromotepartyaffiliationorprovidepoliticaleducationtothepartymembers.Otherthantheactivitiesorganized alongwith themain activities, themembers inHouse ofRepresentativesorpartypoliticiansmayoccasionallyarrangeameetingorpoliticaleducationsessionfor thepartymembers,but theydidnotorganizethiskindofactivitiesannuallysincetheyweremainlyfinancedbythemembersinHouseofRepresentativesorpartypoliticiansonly. ForPueaFahDinParty,theirpoliticaleducationactivitiesforpartymembers and the publicweremostly integrated in the job bases orBunniyomTV’scontent.PueaFahDinPartydidnothavepoliticalforumtoprovidepoliticalinformationtothepubliclikeotherpoliticalparties,exceptduringpoliticalgatheringswhenthepartytendedtoassignSamanas


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orkeypoliticalfigurestogiveaspeechonstagetosharetheirpoliticalideastothepublic. TheprovisionofpoliticaleducationforpartymemberstowardjobbasesandBunniyommediaoftheAsokeCommunitywasdifferentfromotherparties.Thepartymembers,whoweremostlyAsokeCommunitymembers,usuallystudiedandreceivedpoliticalinformationeveryday.Therefore,thepoliticalconceptspromotedbytheleadersofthePueaFahDin Party andAsoke Communitywere truly absorbed by the partymembers.According to the interviewswith 20 Peua FahDin Partymembers,everyintervieweehadthesamedirectionofpoliticalideas.TheybelievedinthepoliticaldecisionofSamanaBodhiraksaandmeritisminwhichtheycouldleadthemtopeacefulpoliticsandthepoliticianswouldtrulyserve thepublicandthecountry.Furthermore, theyalsobelievedthatreligionandpoliticscannotbeseparatedandgoodpoliticsmustcomefromgoodreligiousconcept. 2) Generating New Knowledge for Party Members and the Public who Participated in Political Education Activities Theprovisionofpoliticaleducationofbothtwoparties’membersmostlywastheprovisionofadditionalcontemporarypoliticalinformation.Thiscouldbenewknowledgeorinformationthattherepresentativesoftheparty shared to themembers and thepublic formakingpoliticalinformationinvariousissuesbecomemoreclearandaccurate.Forexample,theDemocrathadorganizedtheforumaboutthepoliciesthatthepartywould like to present during the election periods and indicating thedisadvantagesoftherivalpartypolicies.Toclearlyshowthedisadvantagesoftherivalparties’policies,theDemocratPartypresentedthestatisticaldataorthequantitativereportsprovidedbythepublicsectortotheforumattendeestoletthemconsiderabouttheseinthefuture. PueaFahDinPartyalsosharedsomesimilarcharacteristicsofinformation provisionwith theDemocrat Party, but these pieces ofinformationwerenotcompletelynewbuttheadditionalinformationaboutmajorpoliticaleventstodirecttheideasofthepartymembersinthesameastheparty.Inaddition,MostoftheinformedcontentwasrelatedtoAsoke


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Community’smeritism;thus,ifanypartymemberorpartyleaderwouldliketoproposeanynewpoliticalconcepttoPueaFahDinParty,itmustbebasedonmeritismaswell. 3) The Distribution of the Party’s Political Ideologies to Party Members toward Political Education ActivitiesDuringtheelectionperiods,theDemocratPartywasabletospreadtheideasandpoliciestotheirpartymembersandpartysupporterseffectively;thesepeopleweretheimportantstrongholdofthepartyduringtheelections.ForPueaFahDinParty,themainideologyofthepartywasconformedtoAsokeCommunity’smeritism,sotheiralltypesofpoliticalactivitiessuchaspoliticaleducationprovision,politicalfundraisings,andsoon,werebasedonmeritism. 4) The Effectiveness of Different Types of Media Used by the Party to Promote Political Education among Party Members and the Public BoththeDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyhadtheirownmediaproductionsuchas televisions, radios,andpublications.Thesesourcesofmediaplaysignificantrolesinprovidingpoliticaleducationtopartymembersand thosewhowere interested ineffectively.For theDemocratParty,therewereavarietyofTVshowsbroadcastedviaFahWanMaiChannelandBlueSkyChannelwhichsteadilygainedalotofattentionfromthepartymembers.Eventhoughthenumberofviewerswaslowerthanthenumberbeforethecoupd’étatin2014,FahWanMaiChannelstill includedpoliticsintheircontent,forexample,ColumnistAnalysisShow,InvisibleHandShow,andcommonnewssessionsintheevenings.Forthepublications,theDemocratPartystillissuedthemonthlyjournalscalledthe“BlueCompass”whichreportedtheparty’spoliticalactivities andpolitics-related articleswrittenby theparty leaders orpoliticians.Fortheradiochannels,althoughtheywerethemosteffectivemediareachingthepublicineveryregion,especiallyintheremoteareas,afterthecoupd’étatin2014,theDemocratPartyhadtostopthebroadcastsviathecommunityradioduetotheprohibitionofmediaproductionbycommunityradiostations.Nonetheless,whentheyproducedthechannels


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via thecommunity radio, theDemocratPartydidnothave theirowncommunityradiostation,butmostofthecommunityradiostationswhobroadcastedpoliticalinformationtopromotethepartyhadpartymembersorpartysupportersmanagingthem,sothepartycouldpresentimportantinformationindifferentareas. PueaFahDinPartyalsohadtheparty’stelevisionchannels,radiostations,andpublications.Everytypeoftheparty’ssourcesofmediawasveryeffectiveintermsofthoroughlyprovidingpoliticalinformationtothepartymembersand thepublicwhowere interested.Thiscouldbenoticedbythenewsfollowingroutinesthatthepartymemberscommittedtoward themedia both inside and outside the country and commonunderstandingamongtheaudienceduetothefactthatBunniyommediaofPueaFahDinPartywasproducedbyajobbaseofAsokeCommunityineveryprovince.TheproducersandlearnersatthejobbaseswerethemembersofAsokeCommunityandPueaFahDinParty.Byproducingtheirownshow,theothermemberstendedtoseriouslypayattentiontotheshowswhethertheywereonTVorradio.ThiswasdifferentfromtheDemocratparty’smediabywhichtheproducersoftheirshowswerenotcompletelycomposedofpartymembers;theirmembersdidnotinvolveinproducingshowsorlearninghowtoproduceshowsunlikethemembersofAsoke Community. Themembers of theDemocrat Party usuallyfollowednewsonlywhen thecountryhadseriouspolitical issues, forexample,when thePeople’sDemocraticReformCommittee (PDRC)protestedagainstthegovernment. Intermsofthecommunityradio,PueaFahDinPartyhadhostedsomechannelsviaradio,too.ThecommunityradioisapartofBunniyom’sjobbasesthatthemembersofAsokeCommunityandPueaFahDinPartymanagedtogether.Itsprogramspresentedvariouspoliticalissuestotheaudienceandcontinuouslygainedattentionfromthemembers.However,after the coup d’état in 2014, Puea FahDin Party had to cease thecommunityradio’soperationsaswell. Objective 3: To examine the role of political education for party members towards the establishment of party affiliation.


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The research results showed that the provision of political education offered by the two parties to their current party members stimulated party affiliation at different levels. MostoftheDemocratPartymembersbelievedintheparty,butdidnothaveclosebondswiththepartywhencomparedwithPueaFahDinPartybecausetheDemocratPartydidnothaveaclearpoliticalideology.Mostofthepoliticalideologiesgainingattentionfromthepartymembersandthepublicusuallyrelatedtocontemporarypoliticalissuesatthattime,orsomepartypoliciesproposingtothepublicmayattractsomegroupsofpartysupporters;theseideologiesandpoliciescontinuouslyinterestedthosewhohadfaithinthepartyortheDemocratParty’sfanclub.Thiscouldbeseenfromtheseminarspeechesduringtheelectionperiodswhenthepartymembersfromdifferentprovinceswereinvitedorthepoliticaleducation sessions for the partymembers organized alongwith theassembliesrequiredbythePoliticalPartyAct.Thecontentpresentedtothepartymembersandactivityparticipantswasmostlyrelatedtocurrentpoliticalsituationsorattackedthepoliciesandweaknessesof therivalparties.Itwasrarelycomposedofthepresentationsofpoliticalconceptsorideologiesformulatedbythepartyfromthepasttopresent.Thus,themajorityof theDemocratPartymembersdidnotunderstand the truehistoryofthepartyaswellastheevolutionoftheparty’spoliticalideologyfromthepasttopresent;thisaffectedtheparty’spoliticaloperationsandtheirmembers’politicalparticipationalot. Intermsofpoliticaleducationprovision,PueaFahDinPartywasenormouslydifferentfromtheDemocratParty.ThiswasbecausePueaFahDinPartywasanorganizationofAsokeCommunityandmostofthePueaFahDinPartymemberswerealsoAsokepeople,somostofthepartymembersdidhavethepartyaffiliationtowardtheparty.Moreover,PueaFahDinParty’spoliticaleducationprovisionwasalsoembeddedwithmeritismwhichwasappliedtotheparty’spoliticalconceptsandideologies;therefore, the communitymembers understood the party’s politicalideologiesverywell.Asokepeoplecomprehendedmeritismverywellsincetheirwayoflivingwasbasedontheideology,thecurrentmembers


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ofthepartybelievedinthepartyandunderstoodtheparty’shistoryandideology.Thesenseofmembershipencouraged thepartymembers towillinglyengageintheparty’spoliticalactivities,especiallywhentherewerepoliticalgatheringsorprotestsagainstthegovernment’spoliciesorlawsthatthepartyconsideredasdangersfortheThaisociety.ThesefactorsshowedthestrengthofthissmallpoliticalpartywhencomparedittoothernewbornpoliticalpartiesorsmallpoliticalpartiesinThailand. The research results showed that the provision of political education to new party members, particularly the young people, of both parties stimulated party affiliation at the same level. BoththeDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyhadtheideaofprovidingpoliticalknowledge to theyouth,but theirapproachesweredifferent.Areasonfor thiswas that theDemocratPartyorganized thepoliticaleducationactivitiesforyouth in theformofYoungDemocratGrouponlyfromtimetotimebyemphasizingtherelationshipbetweenyoungpeopleand theparty,party’spoliticians,andparty’spersonnel.Therefore,youngpeoplewhoparticipatedintheprojectoftenhadachancetoexchangetheirknowledgewiththerealpractitionersandgethandsintherealpoliticaloperations.Sometimes,aftertheendoftheproject,someof the young people also continuedworking as the assistants of themembersintheHouseofRepresentativesundertheDemocratParty.Thiswasthefoundationoftheparty’snextgenerations. In termsofPueaFahDinParty,politicaleducationwasprovidedregularlyasapartofschoolingforstudentsinAsokeCommunityschools.Theylearnedabouttheparty’spoliticalideologytowardthejobbasesandBoonniyommedia.Nonetheless,suchknowledgemaynotemphasizetheactualpoliticalsituationsbutthemerit-basedpoliticalconcepts.Theyouthdidnothaveachancetogenuinelyengageinpoliticaloperations,soitwasdifficultforthemtounderstandtherealpoliticalactivities.Moreover,PueaFahDinPartydidnothaveanymemberintheHouseofRepresentativesunderitsname,sotheydidnothavepersonneltoexchangepoliticalideaswiththeyoungpeoplewhowereinterestedinpolitics.Therefore,iftheyouthwerenotinterestedinpoliticsandtherewasthelackofpolitical


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experttoshareandexchangepoliticalknowledgewiththem,whentheseyoungpeoplegraduated,theywouldnolongerhaveinterestsinpoliticsortheparty’spoliticalrole.Thiswouldbedifficultforthepartytocreatenew generations to continue the party’s operations and obstruct thedevelopmentofPueaFahDinPartyinthefuture. Objective 4: To explore the relationship between political education provided by the party and how that political education stimulate party members, party supporters, and people in general to participate in politics. The research results showed that the parties’ provision of political education for the party members and party supporters increased the target groups’ interests in politics and escalated their political participation. Accordingtotheresearchresults,politicaleducationprovisionoftheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyincreasedthepartymembersandsupporters’participationinpolitics,especiallythekeypoliticalissuesthatthepartiesgaveimportanceto.ThiscouldbenoticedfromthepoliticalparticipationofPueaFahDinPartymemberswhentheywereprotestingagainstthenumerousgovernments’policiesortheunjustgovernmentsintheirperspective.Duringeachprotest,PueaFahDinPartymembersfromalloverthecountrywerewillingtoparticipateinthepoliticalsituationsinunity.Toillustrate,in2011,PueaFahDinPartymembersandspiritualrelativesofAsokeCommunitiesfromeveryareacametoprotestagainstthegovernmentinthenameof“DharmaArmy”.MostoftheprotestersdecidedtojoininthedemonstrationafterreceivingnewsandinformationfromBunniyomTVandtheteachingsofSamanaBodhiraksaaboutthecurrentpoliticalsituations;therewerehencealotoftheprotestors. Similarly, theDemocratPartyalsoprovidedpoliticalknowledgeandnewstothepartymembersandsupporterstoincreasetheirpoliticalparticipation.Duringthepoliticalconflictin2013,thegovernmenthadtriedtointroducetheAmnestyBilltothePeople’sCommitteetochangeThailand’s system into true constitutional monarchy. The People’sDemocraticReformCommittee(PDRC) ledbySuthepThaugsuban,a


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formermemberoftheHouseofRepresentativesunderthenameoftheDemocratParty,hadgathered toprotestagainst thegovernment.TheDemocratPartybecameapartoftheprotestsincealotoftheirmembersintheHouseofRepresentativesjoinedintheprotest.Thisinfluencedthepartymembersandsupporterstoengageintheprotest.Inaddition,thepartyalsobroadcastedpoliticalissuesviatheparty’smedia.Accordingtothesurvey,therewasthehigherratingofBlueSkyChannelduringtheprotestcomparedtomanypublicchannels.ThisshowedthattheDemocratParty’spoliticaleducationprovisionsupportedthepartymembersandsupporters’politicalparticipationinthesamewayasPueaFahDinParty. The research results on the question of “did political parties’ political education provision increase the voting base of the parties?” are shown below. Accordingtothestudy,theprovisionofpoliticaleducationforpartymembersandsupportersmayhaveinfluencedthemtoparticipateinpoliticsalongsidewiththeparty,butitdidnotmotivatethemtovoteforthepartiesduringtheelectionperiods,especiallyintheareaswherethepartieddidnothavestrongholds.Forexample,duringthe2011election,thenumberofvoterswhovotedforthepartiesinmanyprovinceswaslowerthanthenumberofbothparties’members.Table1demonstratesthecomparativedatabetween thenumberofpartymembersandnumberofvotes theDemocratPartygained inNorth-eastern region.Thisshows thateventhoughthepartyhadorganizedpoliticaleducationactivities,theydidnotsignificantlyincreasethevotesfortheparty.


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Table 1TheComparisonbetween theNumberof theDemocratPartyMembersandtheNumberofVotes in theParty-listSystemduring the2011Election

Source:TheElectionCommissionofThailand(2012)

ForPueaFahDinParty, even though therewere 16,467partymembers,the2011electionresultsintheParty-listsystemshowedthattheyreceivedonly12,823votes.Thisshowsthattheparty’smerit-basedpoliticaleducationprovisionwasacceptedbythepartymembers,butitdidnotincreasethestrongholdofthepartyduringtheelectionperiods.

Conclusion DuetothefactthattheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyhaddifferencesintheestablishment’sobjectives,party’sstructure,politicalconceptsandideologies,politicalparticipation’sobjectives,andtheoriginsofpartymembers.Therefore,theirdirectionofpoliticaleducationprovisionwasdifferent inmanyaspects suchas thecharacteristicsofpoliticaleducationactivitiesorganizedbythepartiesandpresentedtothepartymembersandthepublic,thepatternsofcommunicationwiththepublictoprovidepoliticalknowledgeandtheparty’sinformation,andthesourcesofrevenuesusedfororganizingpoliticaleducationactivities.Thisresultedinthedifferencesintheeffectivenessofpoliticaleducationactivitiesofthetwoparties.SincetheDemocratPartydidnotapermanentstronghold,unlikePueaFahDinPartywhohadAsokeCommunitiesastheirstronghold,

Provinces

KalasinKhonKaen

NakhonPhanomMahaSarakhamMukdahanRoiEt

NongKhaiNongBuaLamPhuAmnatCharoen

Number of Party Members

153,720137,52133,381150,77161,942159,04045,5699,93080,250

Election Results in the Party-list System

68,699112,92218,02753,37312,65756,65523,92120,56175,469


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theDemocratParty’spoliticaleducationprovisionmustbe interestingenoughtoattractthepartymembersandthepublictolistenandparticipateintheirpartyactivities.Incontrast,PueaFahDinPartyhadthestrongholdcomposedofAsokeCommunities,partymembers,partyexecutiveswhowerealsothemembersofAsokeCommunitiesandbelievedinmeritism,andSamanaBodhiraksawhowastheleaderofthecommunities.So,themerit-basedpoliticaleducationprovisionobviouslyattractedtheattentionofthepartymembersandincreasedthepoliticalparticipationamongthemeffectively.

Recommendations AccordingtothestudyofthepoliticaleducationprovisionfortheDemocratPartyandPueaFahDinPartyfortheirpartymembers,thetwoparties’ direction and patterns of political education provisionweredifferent.SincePueaFahDinPartyhadastrongholdcomposedofAsokeCommunitymembersandadoptedtheAsokeCommunity’sprincipletoapplywiththeparty’spoliticalideology,therewastheclosebondbetweenthepartymemberswhobelievedinmeritismofAsokeCommunityandtheparty.Themerit-basedpoliticaleducationprovisionofPueaFahDinPartywascontinuouslyacceptedandsupportedbytheirpartymembers. Theprovisionofpoliticaleducationof theDemocratPartywasdifferent fromPueaFahDinParty because the party did not have acommunity-basedstrongholdunlikePueaFahDinParty.Moreover,theeducationalcontentoftheDemocratPartywasmainlybasedonthemajorpoliticalissuesineachperiodoftimeorthepoliticalpoliciesthatthepartyproposedduringtheelectionperiods,notaclearpoliticalideology.So,eventhoughthepoliticaleducationactivitiesmayhaveinterestedthepartymembersandsupporters,theydidnotincreasepartyaffiliationinthesamewayasPueaFahDinParty. According to the study, the researchers had summarized therecommendationsfordevelopingpoliticaleducationprovisionofThaipoliticalparties,particularlyPueaFahDinPartyandtheDemocratParty,aswellastheElectionCommissionofThailandasfollows.


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Recommendations for Political Parties 1)Political parties should organize regular political educationactivities.Thecontentofknowledgeprovidedforthepublicmuststimulatepartyaffiliation,notonlyinvolvesthepoliticalissuesthatcouldinterestthepubliconce inawhile. Ifpoliticalpartiescanformulate themainprinciplesofthepartywhichisthefoundationofitspoliticalideologyanddevelopitas theparty’spolitical ideology, it ispossible toapplysuchprinciplestothedevelopmentofpoliticaleducationcontentandapproaches.Thiscouldalsopromotepoliticalparticipationamongthepartymembersandgenuinelyunifythemwiththeparty.Simultaneously,thepartiescanalsoincreasethenumberoftheirstrongholdandmembersbyrecruitingthosewhohavesimilarpoliticalideologiestotheparty. 2)PoliticaleducationprovisionforyouthisalsohighlyimportantforthedevelopmentofpoliticalpartiesaswellasthedevelopmentofThaipolitics ingeneral.Currently,veryfewThaikidsare interested in thecountry’spolitics, sopoliticalpartiesshouldencourageandprovidedpoliticalknowledgetotheyoungpeople,especiallythosewhoareinterestedintheirpartyactivities. In termsofprovidingpoliticaleducation to theyouth,politicalpartiesshouldcollectnewknowledgeforyoungpeopleandshouldnotemphasizethecontentattackingtherivalpartiesbutcreativecontent.Thiswillencouragethenewgenerationstoenterthefieldofpoliticsanddevelopthepoliticsinpracticalway.Forinstance,politicalpartiesmayteachthemabout thedevelopedcountries’governancesystems tohelp themlearnfromgoodexamplesandapplytheirknowledgeinthefuture. 3)Politicaleducationprovisionforyouthshouldnotbelimitedtomemorizingtextbooksorlisteningtoguestspeakersorkeypoliticalfiguresonly, but rather involve thekids toparticipate inpolitical educationactivitiesof thepartiesandgenuinely train in thefieldofpolitics, forexample,assistthemembersoftheHouseofRepresentatives,supporttheelectioncampaigns,visit importantpolitical sites toobserve the realpoliticaloperationalprocesses,andsoon.Thesepracticescouldhelptheyoungpeopletodecidewhethertheywouldliketoworkinthefieldof


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politicsornot. 4)Politicalparties’fundraisingsforself-fundingpoliticalactivitiesareveryimportant.PoliticalpartiesshouldnotonlyreplyonthesupportingfundsfromthePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFundortheparty’spoliticians.Asmentioned before, the supporting funds from the Political PartyDevelopmentFundmaybenotsufficientfororganizingpoliticalactivitiesregularly.Ifpoliticalpartiesdonothaveadequatebudgettoorganizesuchactivities, theymayhave todependon thesupporting fundsfromtheparty’spoliticians; thismayaffect theobjectivesofpoliticaleducationprovision for thepartymembersand thepublicbecause theymaybeintervenedbytheinvestors.Therefore,politicalpartiesshouldgeneraterevenues toorganizepoliticaleducationactivitiesby themselves, forexample,selltheparty’sproducts,organizedifferentkindsofpartiestoraisefunds,organizedonationsessions,andsoon.Thegenuinepoliticaleducationprovisionofferedbypoliticalpartiescan trulyenhance thepolitical knowledge of the citizens in accordance with the parties’principles. Recommendations for the Election Commission of Thailand 1)TheElectionCommissionofThailandisakeyagencyplayingasignificantroleindevelopingpoliticalparties.Hence,inordertodeveloppoliticalparties,especiallysmallpoliticalparties,andreformpoliticalparties,theElectionCommissionofThailandshouldorganizeworkshopstoprovideeducation topoliticalparties in termsofpoliticaleducationprovisionfor thepublic, inorder togiveopportunities to thenewbornpoliticalpartiestodevelopthemselvesandgaingenuinepartymemberswhohavethesamevisionastheparties. 2)DuetothefactthatthebudgetgivenbytheElectionCommissionofThailandtosupportpoliticalpartiesmaybeinsufficientfororganizingpoliticaleducationactivitiesforthepublicandmostofthebudgettendstobeused for administrating thepartybranchesor organizingpartymeetingsasrequiredbytheElectionCommissionofThailand,theElectionCommission ofThailand should organizeworkshops to educate thepoliticalpartiesaboutrevenues-generatingactivitiesforself-fundingand


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becomingindependentfromthepoliticalparties’supportingfundsfromthePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFund.Presently,politicalparties(smallpoliticalpartiesinparticular)oftenproposetheprojectstorequestforthebudgetfromthePoliticalPartyDevelopmentFundbyfocusingon theseminarsbetweenpartymembersratherthanfundraisings.TheElectionCommissionofThailandshouldorganizeworkshopstoeducatethepartiestoformsuchactivitiesinordertobeabletofundthemselvesinthefuture. 3)TheElectionCommissionofThailandshouldorganizeworkshopsforpartybranchesandpartymembers toproposeprojects toorganizepoliticalactivitiesinwhichthepartymembersandpartybranchmemberscanaccuratelywriteaprojectproposalinordertorequestforthebudgetfromtheirparty in thefuture.Atpresent, theElectionCommissionofThailandhasregularlyorganizededucationalactivitiesforpartybranchesandpartymembers,butmostofthecontentofknowledgeisrelatedtogeneralpoliticalissuessuchasthepatternsofelectionandthedevelopmentofpoliticalparties.However,theactivitiesorganizedforthepartybranchesstill lacktheknowledgeaboutmanagementandoperationsrequiredbyinternalorganizationlaws.Thus,inordertostrengthentheperformanceofpartybranches,increasetheeffectivenessofthepoliticalactivities,andgainsufficientsupportingfunds, theElectionCommissionofThailandshouldorganizeworkshopstoeducatepartybranchesintheaforementionedareas.

Acknowledgement IoweagreatdealofgratitudetoFriedrichNaumannFoundation,Thailand for funding this research. I dowant to specifically expressgratitudetothefollowingindividual:IwishtoextendmygratitudetoMr.SiegfriedHerzog,RegionalDirector forSoutheastandEastAsia;Ms.Katrin Bannach, Project Director, Thailand and Dr. PimrapaatDusadeeisariyakul,ProgrammeManager,Thailandforsupportingmetoconduct this study Duringmyfield research fromAugust-November2015,agreatmanypeoplehelpedme.AttheDemocratParty,IwouldliketothankMr.


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SomchaiJitramart,Mrs.JatupornKeysonsit,andstaffsintheDemocratPartyofficeinBangkokandlocalitiesforalwaysprovidingmeinformation,acomfortablespacetoworkintheoffice,friendshipand,ofcourse,greatice-coffeeeverytime.AtthePhueFahDinParty,IwouldliketothankSamana Bodhirak, Samana Saendin, and other Samanas at AsokeCommunitiesaswellasallpartyandbranchexecutivecommittees.Iamextremelyindebtedto the interviewees(whosenamesare listedin thisresearch)and their staffat theheadquartersofficeaswellasat localbranches.AttheElectionCommissionofThailand,IthankMr.KittiponPhaayakdechapan, theDirectorofPoliticalPartyDevelopmentFundSection,andtheirstaffsbothattheECTheadquartersandlocaloffices.


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