POWER GAMES
Nattaya Chetchotiros
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat's refusal to step down following the police crackdown on the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) demonstrators outside Parliament, only underscores the illegitimacy of his administration, which had pledged to bring reconciliation to the country.
The resignation of Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh as deputy prime minister in charge of security affairs to show responsibility over the incident, is not enough. While his show of spirit is welcomed, there is nothing else to commend.
Mr Somchai cannot deny accountability for, let alone knowledge of, the police use of force which resulted in deaths and injuries to break up the PAD demonstration. He cannot justify use of force by claiming the demonstrators attempted to lay siege to Parliament.
The prime minister called an urgent cabinet meeting on Monday night - after PAD demonstrators were mobilised to seal off parliament building to prevent him from announcing the government's policy statement the following day.
On Tuesday morning police, who claimed to be armed only with tear gas, were sent in to disperse the crowd to clear a path for him. The melee that ensued gave ample opportunity for deadly weapons to be used.
In the aftermath of this bloody crackdown, numerous civil groups and respected figures like social thinker Prawase Wasi stepped up the pressure on the government, calling for Mr Somchai to stand down.
In what is widely seen as a protest against the government's action, Thai Airways pilots on separate flights yesterday denied two People Power party (PPP) MPs permission to board their planes, claiming they could not guarantee the safety of the legislators, who might be attacked by other passengers.
With such social pressure, the days of the Somchai administration are numbered.
The brother-in-law of deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has faced resistance from the PAD since he was nominated for prime minister.
But unlike his immediate predecessor Samak Sundaravej, Mr Somchai is soft-spoken. His conciliatory attitude has made it more difficult for the PAD to reach out to that sector of the public which prefers the political strife be resolved amicably. Mr Somchai's attempt to enter into a dialogue to resolve the political stalemate with the PAD gave a ray of hope that the prolonged turmoil would come to an end.
That hope was bolstered following approval of his proposal to amend Article 291 of the Constitution to engage the public in drafting charter amendments.
But any chance there might have been of reaching reconciliation was sharply diminished when the first round of tear gas was fired at PAD demonstrators to clear the way for him to enter Parliament. And it was completely crushed as tear gas swirled throughout the day and the prime minister made no attempt to rein in the police.
At the end of a long day of clashes and brutality, two people were dead and well over 400 injured. Given these statistics, it is hard to rule out the use of lethal weaponry. Given what the public witnessed right across the media spectrum, the Metropolitan Police Bureau's statement that police deployed nothing else but tear gas in dispersing the crowds is being met with doubt.
So, the government's attempt to solve the political problem through peaceful means has gone down the drain. Its hope of being able to work for three months is now deemed out of the question. Political analysts are now wondering whether it can last even one more month.
The crackdown is likely to lure more people to the PAD protest too, especially after the arrests of two leaders, Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang and Chaiwat Sinsuwong. The number of protesters which had dropped to a few thousand has quickly risen to the tens of thousands.
The PAD's second generation of leaders such as Sirichai Mai-ngam, Sawit Kaewwan and Samran Rodpetch, are free to lead the crowds as they are not restricted by criminal charges like the eight core PAD members.
And the violent crackdown has opened the chances for the PAD to get its message across to a wider audience. Over the past four months, the anti-government group has found it hard to reach out to those who are not hooked up to ASTV.
Following the demonstration breakup, Mr Sirichai has had a chance to send a message to the public about why the group has been forced to take to the streets to pressure the government.
According to Mr Sirichai, the checks and balance mechanisms in Parliament cannot function. The Opposition commands only 163 votes against the government's 317, and calls by pressure and civil groups seem to fall on deaf ears.
From now on, pressure on the Somchai government is expected to mount from all sides. But the most important thing is that they must strictly refrain from violence and avoid repeating the government's mistake on Tuesday.
Nattaya Chetchotiros is President of the Thai Journalists Association and Assistant News Editor, Bangkok Post.
Prev
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Next
