ONLINE OUTLETS, most notably Facebook, have become popular media for constitution draft enthusiasts and opponents to agitate for and against the charter as it is due to be completed by the end of the month with a referendum in July.

Thai politics are on fire again following the release of the initial draft in late January. Comments are overflowing everywhere online about the potential constitution, which could dictate the political landscape after the current regime is dissolved.

Besides key political players such as the parties and notable factions, minor and niche groups have also been very active online showing frustration regarding the draft and calling on followers to vote it down in the planned plebiscite.

A page titled “Stop Being Fake Thailand”, which has nearly half a million followers on Facebook, expresses discontent over the charter draft and has gained a lot attention, including from the Constitution Drafting Commission (CDC) chief Meechai Ruchupan.

The page, which leans towards the “red” end of the political spectrum, has posted a set of simple yet meaningful photos with propaganda messages attacking the charter draft since the first version was revealed.

Using the down-to-earth vernacular to explain the draft, Stop Being Fake Thailand propaganda has included a satire of the coup-maker’s song “Returning Happiness to the Thai People”, with the satirical song instead crooning “just give me a moment”, alleging that the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) wants to prolong its stay in power through the new constitution.

A few other Facebook pages expressing so-called red-shirt ideology have also been fiercely campaigning using similar methods. They include the “New Democracy Movement” (NDM), which is run by a young political activist group of the same name.

Just like Stop Being Fake Thailand, the campaign highlights controversial points of the charter including the authority of independent organisations, the recruitment method for the Senate, the single-ballot electoral system, and the process required for future constitutional amendments.

Besides the simple and funny text messages criticising the charter, the NDMFacebook page features satirical doctored photos of leading figures in the government. This, too, has helped their spin be welcomed by netizens who have shared the photos hundreds of times.

Humour and a laid-back style seemed to be popular tactics for online critics of the draft, and even more serious groups such as iLaw and Prachamati.org have organised creative Facebook campaigns asking netizens to offer nicknames for it.

Participants tended towards the most funny titles, such as “Angel Baby (Look Thep) Charter”, in reference to the craze for “angel dolls” that swept Thailand recently. But the winning title was a reference to the popular Thai blockbuster “Muen Jon Ho”, with the author explaining that the constitution draft was so confusing (muen) that it made people cry (ho).

However, countering the storm of objections, there are also a few Facebook pages campaigning and posting infographics advocating for the constitution draft.

There are the official messages being promoted by the CDC’s public relations team published on the “Our New Constitution” Facebook page, which has about 1,600 followers, with relevant hotlinks leading to the government’s parliament.go.th address.

For instance, the CDC has produced a document explaining controversial issues relating to their work point by point.

One notable example is the explanation of the draft’s section on rights and liberties, which critics said was inadequate in the first version of the draft.

Another Facebook page “Constitution Insight” recently emerged that also advocates for the draft. As the name suggests, the page gives insights and information meant to counter what it calls myths about the draft.

One of the most successful pro-draft messages has been a three-minute video clip, “What to know before complaining about the 2016 charter”, which has been widely shared including by a pro-military Facebook fan-page. The original video on YouTube has registered more than 44,000 views.

The video presents an adorable graphic addressing points about the charter draft that have allegedly been distorted by critics, including the controversial single-ballot system and allegations that there is an agenda to install a non-elected prime minister.

An advertisement for Constitution Insight has appeared on the most popular online forum, Pantip.com, which according to twfdigital.com, an IT and marketing blog, costs around Bt80,000 for a 30-day period.

The CDC denies being responsible for the Facebook page.

As the final draft of the constitution is scheduled to be released this month, the CDC and the government will almost certainly work harder to campaign for it.

The Election Commission, which is responsible for urging people to vote in the referendum, plans to distribute fewer hard copies of the draft constitution than originally planned, and instead rely on mobile applications and Internet campaigns.

According to a source in EC, a new application and website will be launched to inform voters ahead of the referendum. The source added that the format would rely on infograpics and similar tools to inform voters instead of flooding them with text and jargon.