Phalang Dharma Party
Thailand's Phalang Dharma Party (PDP; pronounced "palang tam") was established on 9 June 1988 through the leadership of Chamlong Srimuang. Also, as its name (Moral Force Party) connotes, the party was established as a new kind of clean party that would not succumb to the money politics that has plagued Thailand for decades. Its members and candidates for parliament were to be individuals of high moral character. The party grew out of the informal Ruam Phalang (Collective Force) group and the Santi Asoke Buddhist movement, which calls for a more authentic commitment to the original ideals of Buddhism.
The dramatic ebb and flow of Phalang Dharma's strength is directly linked to that of its founder, Cham-long Srimuang (b. 1935), the former governor of Bangkok and major general and Young Turk in the Thai military. Given his strong commitment to Buddhism, he is sometimes referred to as "half monk, half man" and is extremely modest in his personal lifestyle. The original problem of the party was that its strength was primarily in Bangkok. Though it expanded its support in the countryside, a major political confrontation that turned violent in Bangkok in May 1992 led to controversy and began to erode support for Cham-long and his party. Chamlong was the primary leader of a people-power movement opposing General Suchinda's (b. 1933) assumption of the prime ministership without being an elected member of parliament. There was considerable criticism of Chamlong from Thais, who accused him of sacrificing lives in the military suppression of the Bangkok demonstrations to pursue his own personal political agenda.
In the September 1992 national election, support for the party in Bangkok began to erode. In January 1993, Chamlong stepped down as leader of the party; he was replaced by a business tycoon, Boonchu Rojanastien. As more and more businesspeople became involved with the party, its initial idealism was severely eroded. The party also unwisely joined an unpopular coalition government in 1995. In the November 1996 election, the party won only one seat. In the January 2001 national election, there were 128 Phalang Dharma candidates but only one was elected. Phalang Dharma had lost its influence in Thai politics.
TABLE 1
Performance of the Phalang Dharma Party in Thai National Elections.
| Election | Number of seats won | Percentage of total seats won |
| July 1988 | 14 | 3.9 |
| March 1992 | 41 | 11.4 |
| September 1992 | 47 | 13.1 |
| July 1995 | 23 | 5.9 |
| November 1996 | 1 | 0.3 |
| January 2001 | 1 | 0.2 |
Further Reading
McCargo, Duncan. (1997) Chamlong Srimuang and the New Thai Politics. London: Hurst and Company.
Murray, David. (1996) Angels and Devils: Thai Politics from February 1991 to September 1992—A Struggle for Democracy? Bangkok, Thailand: White Orchid Press.
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