“It’s a shame that politicians cannot do activities that could benefit the people, such as helping with the floods that are hitting many areas across the country,” party’s spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said on Wednesday.

Political parties did not assist flood victims because they were afraid it could violate the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)’s ban, he said.

If the government looked at a politician’s role positively, hundreds of thousands of political party members across the country could help those affected by the flood, Anusorn said.

He said the government’s position today was unshakeable.

“We can wait until they [the NCPO] are comfortable before we carry out any activities, although personally I see that political parties should be given time to prepare for the upcoming election as the organic law on political parties has already passed,” Anusorn said.

Politicians would leave it to the discretion of the powers that be to decide whether or not to lift the ban, he added.

Anusorn’s remark came after defence minister and deputy prime minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan said on Wednesday that he would unlock political parties when he feels like it.