Transparency in upcoming election and EC’s role in focus on Open Data Day


Experts from various fields took part in the discussions on the importance of public information (open data), especially political information and the upcoming election.

Open Data Day 2023 was held at the Bangkok Art and Cultural Center with the aim of driving a data-driven society. 
The event on Saturday was jointly organised by Wevis, Punch Up World, HAND Social Enterprise, ILaw, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation, and King Prajadhipok's Institute.

Four participants — Yingcheep Atchanont, project manager at ILaw; Kittiphong Boriboon, deputy secretary-general of the Election Commission; Paiboon Nititawan, member of the House of Representatives and deputy chief of the Palang Pracharat Party; and Pongpiphat Banchanont, senior editor at “The Matter” — spoke on the day’s first topic: “Pre-Election: Open Data for Fair Election”.

The panelists first discussed "Election Review in 2019”, which covered election regulations, reporting data, and ballot counting, a contentious issue owing to lack of transparency.

"There were new regulations and formats in the 2019 election, such as increasing the poll closing time from 3pm to 5pm, using one election card to choose the prime minister and members of the House of Representatives, and employing technology to report unofficial results [rapid report],” said Kittiphong.


Public concerns



"The rapid report was a turning point that raised concerns among people. As the data was gathered by people, human error was common throughout the process. But when the results were corrected, people were suspicious about them," Kittiphong explained.

Pongpiphat lauded the much-improved performance of the EC in the election for Bangkok governor last year.

He pointed out that people were unsure whether using one card for two purposes would be an effective way to count votes in the last election.

"During the 2019 election, poll results were suspended due to a data bottleneck; this time, the EC should have better clarity for the people," Pongpiphat said.

Paiboon agreed with Pongpiphat about the EC’s lack of transparency in the last election.

“The EC should learn lessons from earlier mistakes," said Paiboon.

"We live in an unusual country. Every time there is an election, there are changes in regulations," said Yingcheep. He added that the 2023 elections would most likely be a new version, unlike the previous one.


EC ‘well-prepared’



Kittiphong explained that the EC is ready at this point for the upcoming election. "The EC has already received the budget and has begun preparation. We have already prepared the election zoning."

"Now, we are open to receive the opinion of the public from every province for 10 days via the EC's website about the upcoming election," he said.

"With nearly 100,000 election units, we need volunteers to double-check results," he added. 



 

Volunteer scrutiny necessary



Yingcheep encouraged people to keep a watch on election units in various districts for “accuracy", since we cannot be sure if we can get that from the relevant authority.

He urged the EC to let individuals help monitor each election unit and they should not be prohibited from taking pictures of the results board in front of the unit as was done in the past.

“People faced hours of doubt from the minute the election was closed until it was time to announce the results," Pongpiphat said.

"Honesty, transparency, fairness, and legitimacy" are mentioned as the EC's motto, but the fact is that the EC usually uses the law to accomplish something dubious, he said.

“The EC cannot always mention the law that they themselves wrote and proposed," he said.

Four other panelists took part in the second discussion on “Post-Election: Open Data for an Open Parliament”. 
The discussions mainly focused on the expectations in revealing data by Parliament, including the disclosure of election-related information, the ease of access, and the convenience in using that data.

 

Media’s own reporting system



Adisak Limparungpatanakij, Nation Group Special Adviser, said: "As a media, we talked to the EC many times, without intending to disclose information related to the election results.”

"The government disrupted the media,” he said. "Despite the fact that data should be provided by the government, the media has had to request it," he said.

He also found fault with the technique used by the EC to gather electoral data in the past. “The EC was just having people in each electoral unit snap images and enter the data manually by people into the system. The media was obliged to rely on the EC for information. It is an old and unreliable system. As a result, we cannot verify the accuracy of the data.”

“If the EC does not stand beside the people, the media and people will help each other," he added.

"The Nation Group and other allies are working together to develop a real-time reporting system. "It may not be completely accurate, but it can be verified and transparent," he explained.

Pakornwut Udompipatskul, a member of the House of Representatives from the Move Forward Party; Pakasit Jamrueang, commander of the computer network management group, Office of Information Secretariat of the House of Representatives; and Nattapat Neokul, project manager at HAND Social Enterprise, also took part in the discussions.


Close watch on Parliament


Nattapat emphasised the importance of Parliament, which he said should be the most open organisation. For example, information about the performance of duties should be publicised and easily accessible. Parliamentary meetings should be broadcast.

"We have to do data governance and data cataloguing in order to distinguish what information can be revealed," Pakasit said.

"We are attempting to change the regulations so that every Parliament meeting is broadcast live, beginning with the Budget Committee. People should be aware of how their taxes are being spent by politicians," said Pakornwut.

“The EC is an independent organisation. It should disclose information to bring democracy closer to the people,” he said, adding, “Therefore, open data is vital to open the people's eyes, which would lead to public inspection. Politicians will be reluctant to get involved in corruption," he said.