Popularity of the Members of the House of the Representative in Thailand

Abstract

The popularity of the members of Thailand's House of Representatives serves the following purposes: (1) explore the political works that helped members of the House of Representatives gain popularity, and (2) design the proposed work model to help members of the House of Representatives gain popularity. It is a qualitative study that collects data from documentary research and interviews key informants who meet the criteria of being a Member of the House of Representatives who has been re-elected four times, in 2005, 2007, 2009, and 2019.

The study finds that, according to objective number 1, the work is separated into pre and post - election. Even after the election, it is essential to continue meeting with the public to gather information and to bond with people (electoral work), alongside the duty of the Member of the House of Representatives (parliamentary work). According to objective number 2, key factors in a Member of the House of Representatives' popularity are: a friendly personality that makes people feel comfortable around them; participation in social activities in their area in person to build trust and confidence from people; the creation of sub-networks in their area; and putting the right man in the right job by entrusting area duties to those with high loyalty and parliamentary duties to those with academic coherence. 3) Creating network or sub-district representatives to help eliminate the need to rely on freelance campaigners during pre-election.