BANGKOK: Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ridiculed speculation that vote-buying prices have surged to as much as 7,500 baht (US$240) per person, saying anyone who paid that much deserved “buffalo horns”.
Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul (pic) on Tuesday (Jan 20) mocked speculation that vote-buying prices have risen to as much as 7,500 baht per person, likening anyone who paid that amount for a single vote to a buffalo and insisting he has never bought votes.
Anutin, who is also leader of the Bhumjaithai Party, was speaking to reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting amid calls for political parties to sign a pact against vote buying.
When told it was being speculated that the going rate for vote buying had climbed to 7,500 baht per head, Anutin responded sarcastically, saying he would buy “buffalo horns” for whoever paid that much so they could wear them.
He did not name any individual or party.
Asked whether the 7,500-baht figure was implausible, Anutin said he did not know and did not want to comment, saying he had never engaged in vote buying and felt he was being “trapped” into giving a specific figure.
Anutin said he would try not to use official working hours for campaign activities. Although he is entitled to take leave, he said he preferred to avoid it. He added that going out to campaign at around 2pm or 3pm could disrupt people while they are still at work.
Asked whether skipping a debate stage as party leader could be seen as a missed opportunity, Anutin said it depended on how one viewed it, but he did not see it that way.
Pressed on whether it reduced his chance to present his vision, he said he presented what he wanted to do through his work.
Asked about confidence in “organic” field visits as a way to persuade voters, Anutin said the term meant there was no fixed format and no particular expectations. He said the benefit was listening directly to people rather than communicating one-way, allowing residents to share what they liked and disliked, what they wanted, and problems they wanted addressed.
He added that during such visits he rarely even mentioned “number 37” or the ballot number of a candidate in that constituency.
Asked whether he had any “secret weapon” for the final stretch, he said he did not, adding that the party would continue working and use all channels to communicate what it would offer if elected.
Asked about Pheu Thai’s lively campaign events while Bhumjaithai does not hold large rallies, Anutin said each party had its own approach and confidence in its campaigning style.
He said he never underestimated any party and offered encouragement to candidates across the political spectrum. Asked whether parties could end up joining hands after the election, he said the decision was for the public to make.
Asked about a Bhumjaithai candidate in Ubon Ratchathani, Sudarat Phithakphornphanloph, wearing a shirt featuring Paetongtarn Shinawatra, a former prime minister, while campaigning, Anutin said he did not know when it happened, including whether it was on Jan 19.
He said Sudarat had already clarified the timing by referring to a change in her hairstyle. Anutin added that he did not care what shirt she wore, saying his priority was for her to win a seat under the Bhumjaithai banner.
Asked whether the party name would secure the same level of support Sudarat had previously received under another party, Anutin said he had not yet visited Ubon Ratchathani but understood the party remained strong there and that local figures did not want him to go to the area. - The Nation/ANN
