Social Action Party

Infobox_Political_party
name_english =Social Action Party
name_native = พรรคกิจสังคม
Kitsangkhom

leader = None
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foundation = 1974
dissolution = 2003
headquarters =
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youth_wing =
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ideology = Conservatism
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international =
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website = [http://www.ect.go.th/english/national/mp/social%20action.html Social Action Party]
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The Social Action Party (Thai: พรรคกิจสังคม) was a political party in Thailand.

History

The Social Action Party was formed as a split from the Democratic Party in 1974 by Thai politician Kukrit Pramoj. cite web | url= http://countrystudies.us/thailand/82.htm | title= Thai Political Parties | publisher= United States Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress] After Pramoj stepped down in December, 1985, the former minister of foreign affairs and deputy party leader, Siddhi Savetsila, led the party.

Internal conflict during the 1986 election resulted in a significant loss for the party. Controversy arose as rumor spread that General Arthit Kamlangek was secretly backing the party. By May, 1986, with financial support from big businesses, a faction of the party split off with Boontheng Thongsawasdi to form the United Decmocracy Party.cite web | url= http://countrystudies.us/thailand/82.htm | title= Thai Political Parties | publisher= United States Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress]

Allegations of corruption continued to devastate the party. In the fall of 1990, when Prime Minister Chatichai Choonhavan threatened to drop the party, founder Kukrit Pramoj was asked to return briefly to replace Siddhi Savetsila. As Choonhavan had previously served Pramoj as Foreign Minister, Choonhavan ultimately decided not to drop the party.cite news | url= http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1DE1730F933A0575AC0A966958260 | title= For Thai Politician, a Break From Retirement | date=September 30, 1990 | work= The New York Times]

In December, 1990, along with the Democratic Party, the Social Action Party withdrew entirely from Choonhavan's government, though it later rejoined Suchinda Kraprayoon's government in April, 1992. It left the pro-military alignment in June, 1992.Citation|last=Levine|first=Marvin|title=Worker Rights and Labor Standards in Asia's Four New Tigers|page=224|isbn=0306454777]

After splitting in to two factions as a result of a power struggle in 1999, the party once again withdrawn from the government, with 17 Parliament members withdrawing with from the ruling coalition.cite web | url= http://www.oxan.com/display.aspx?g=gp&ItemID=DB35937 | title= THAILAND: Electoral Timing | publisher= Oxford Analytica ]

2001–present

By the year 2001, the Social Action Party had lost much of the political support it had back in the 1970's. The 2001 election resulted in the party winning only one seat in parliament. Many of the members, including former leader Suwit Khunkitti, left Social Action for the Thai Rak Thai party. In 2003, the party was disbanded.cite web | url= http://www.irb-cisr.gc.ca/en/research/rir/?action=record.viewrec&gotorec=444197 | title= Response to Information Request: Thailand | publisher= Canada Country of Origin Research]

Ideology

The Social Action Party advocated social conservatism, and fiscally a free enterprise approach and capitalism, more than the liberal Democratic Party. cite web | url= http://countrystudies.us/thailand/82.htm | title= Thai Political Parties | publisher= United States Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress]

Notes and references