By Thai Newsroom Reporters
THE MOVE FORWARD was today (Aug. 7) dissolved at the order of the Constitutional Court for violating the lese majeste law by openly making campaign-promised moves deemed by court as tantamount to undermining rule of the country, thus putting an end to the four-year-old reformist party.
The Constitutional Court judges made an unanimous decision to rule the Move Forward guilty as charged by the Election Commission of having evidently breached the draconian law, also known as Section 112 of the Criminal Code, by openly attempting to amend it to the extent that such moves, publicly pledged under partisan campaigns during 2021 and earlier this year, were finally deemed tantamount to undermining rule with the monarchy as head of state, thus rendering the dissolution of the reformist party in immediate fashion and prohibition of all former members of the party’s executive board from assuming political positions at all levels for a 10-year period from now.
That the Move Forward turned out to be the largest elected party which gained some 14 million votes and won 151 MP seats in last year’s nationwide race to parliament was attributed in no small measure to their electoral campaigns which ostensibly obliged themselves in pursuit of amendment to the draconian lese majeste law.
Though the Constitutional Court had earlier ruled that the debatable moves had been tantamount to “erosive” acts which could probably have developed into acts of undermining rule unless immediately put to an end, the polling agency had decidedly filed the lese majeste lawsuit against the reformist party.
Given the original court ruling which had spared the Move Forward an earlier dissolution of the party, their previously-planned moves for legislation to amend the Section 112 of the Criminal Code at parliament have practically ground to a halt.
Nevertheless, the Move Forward rank and file had contended in vain that they had had no ultimate design to undermine rule as accused by the polling agency and others and that they had merely intended to promote a closer, lasting relationship between the constitutional monarchy and people and to defend the monarchy from being practically abused by any powerful figures who may have conspired to destroy their political enemies or those who may have had opposing views, given the lese majeste law as a relentless tool.
Hundreds of political activists, mostly being adolescents, had been arrested, detained and denied bail in alleged violation of the lese majeste law which currently carries harsh penalties in a range of three to 15 years in jail for convicts of relevant charges.
Due to the Move Forward dissolution, a total of 143 Move Forward MPs are legally bound to find other parties, which may or may not currently have any MPs under command, to be registered as partisan members within a 60-day period from now to maintain their MP status.
Those who have immediately lost their MP status and been subject to the 10-year political ban due to the party dissolution are former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, Move Forward leader Chaithawat Tulathon, Move Forward secretary-general Apichart Sirisuntorn, Move Forward MP Benja Sangchan and Move Forward MP Suthep Ouan.
Other former members of the Move Forward executive board being banned from politics included Deputy House Speaker Padipat Santipada, who had skipped over as a concurrent MP to the Fair Party, former Move Forward MP Amarat Chokpamitkul and former Move Forward MP Somchai Fangchonlajit, among others.
All Move Forward MPs who were immediately deprived of their MP status have been party-listed legislators for whom no by-election will be held whilst one will be held in Pitsanulok to find a replacement for Padipat as a deposed constituency-based lawmaker.
The Move Forward was practically a resurrection of the Future Forward which had been dissolved by the Constitutional Court in 2020 due to a contentious phenomenon in which former Future Forward leader Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit had granted more donations in cash to his own party than legally allowed.
Alongside the dissolution of the original reformist party former Future Forward secretary-general Piyabutr Saengkanokkul, former Future Forward spokesperson Pannika Wanich and Thanathorn, among others, had immediately lost their MP status and been banned from assuming political positions at all levels for a 10-year period.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, left, and current Move Forward leader Chaithawat Tulathon, right, with Constitutional Court logo in the background. Photo: Naewna
Front Page: Former Move Forward leader Pita Limjaroenrat, left, and current Move Forward leader Chaithawat Tulathon together with other party members. Photo: Thai Rath
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