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Expect the new prime minister to be chased and heckled everywhere he goes by PAD supporters, said a MATICHON editorialist
KAMOL HENGKIETISAK
A policeman constantly faces danger to keep the peace, noted a Matichon writer. Whenever police are injured or die from the attacks of terrorists in the four southern provinces, Thai people are saddened.
But Thailand and the world saw another sort of police action when they fired tear gas bullets, smoke bombs, rubber bullets and other assault weapons into the crowd of PAD (People's Alliance for Democracy) demonstrators on the morning of October 7, resulting in serious injuries and bloodshed, to clear them away from the Government House. The police were not keeping the peace but were violently suppressing unarmed people through force.
Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat may have thought it legitimate to use force to disperse the demonstrators who blocked the access to the parliament building to prevent him from delivering an address on his new government's policy, said the writer, who acknowledged the demonstrators were at fault for trying to block the executive branch from carrying out its duty under the constitution.
On the other hand, the PAD and its supporters claim that Mr Somchai's government is not legitimate and the people are justified in exercising their right to assemble, oppose and expel corrupt politicians from government to prevent damage to the country. This is the main justification given by the PAD for its occupation of the Government House and the blockade of the parliament building.
The clash between the government and the PAD really began during the tenure of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It stopped during the coup period, and resumed after prime minister Samak was elected, after he openly declared that he was Mr Thaksin's nominee. The People Power Party (PPP), a reincarnation of Mr Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai party, saw the PAD as an enemy that must be crushed. This led to violent confrontations in several provinces when the PAD tried to incite the locals to join in solidarity with the Bangkok protesters.
In Bangkok, the United Front of Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD), a pro-Thaksin group, rallied their forces to break up the ongoing PAD protest, resulting in one death and several injuries. Mr Samak seized this opportunity to declare a state of emergency in Bangkok, and called on the military to expel the PAD from Government House. Nine PAD leaders were charged with criminal offences and arrest warrants were issued for them.
However, Army commander Gen Anupong Paojinda declined to use force to evict the PAD from Government House. Fearing bloodshed, Gen Anupong said it was a political problem and should be solved through political means.
This was the beginning of the end for Mr Samak, who ultimately was forced to leave office after he was found guilty of a relatively minor offence.
Matichon said new prime minister Mr Somchai doesn't seem to have learned the lesson taught to his predecessor - that using force would not bear fruit. When he authorised the police to use force to disperse the demonstrators so that he could enter Parliament, this time the police suppression was more severe than during Mr Samak's tenure, and resulted in deaths and hundreds of injuries.
In using force against unarmed demonstrators, Mr Somchai was condemned widely within the country and abroad. There are now calls for him to either resign or dissolve the House of Representatives.
Clearly Mr Somchai will not be able to govern the country in peace, said the writer. He will face even stronger opposition from the PAD and from state enterprise unions. Expect him to be chased and heckled everywhere he goes by PAD supporters, said Matichon, and also expect that former prime minister Thaksin will be pursued until he comes back to Thailand to face the charges against him.
Apirak's win no surprise
The Bangkok governor election on Sunday revealed that Bangkokians prefer the incumbent. Even though former governor Apirak Kosayodhin was not outstanding in his performance in his first term, he did not do anything much wrong, remarked a Thai Rath writer, who also commented that the voter turnout was disappointing, as it was much lower than the last governor's election four years ago.
The Thai Rath writer conjectured that the main reason many Bangkokians were not enthusiastic about this local election was that the incumbent was projected by various polls as the clear winner. It was later confirmed that when the early vote counts started trickling in, Mr Apirak was winning throughout all 50 districts and he held a commanding lead throughout the night.
Mr Apirak is the second Bangkok governor to win a second term. Maj-Gen Chamlong Srimuang did it nearly 20 years earlier.
The Thai Rath writer gave these reasons for Mr Apirak's win:
1. Bangkokians were satisfied at a certain level with Mr Apirak's performance during his first four years.
2. Bangkok voters generally support Mr Apirak's Democrat party
3. The other candidates were not outstanding.
The writer hoped Mr Apirak would continue with existing projects and implement new ones to make Bangkok a better city to live in. He was not surprised that Prapas Chongsa-nguan of the People Power party failed miserably, scoring about half of Mr Apirak's vote tally. Actually, Mr Prapas did quite well considering that the PPP was not fully prepared. The party committed to Mr Prapas only one day before the candidate registration period began. What's more, Mr Prapas' policies were not made clear, except in regard to the subject of traffic, which he is an expert on, having worked extensively on expressway and subway projects throughout his career.
His being able to place second was due mainly to the existing electoral support base of the Thai Rak Thai party in Bangkok.
By supporting Mr Prapas' candidature, the PPP hoped to gauge its support in Bangkok in a future general election. The party did not do well in Bangkok in last year's general election, gaining only 9 seats, compared to the 27 won by the Democrat party, concluded Thai Rath.
The future is bleak
No one knows when the present political crisis is going to end, as every path to resolution seems blocked, said a Thai Rath writer. Each side is intransigent and each has hidden motives, resulting in a lack of sincerity. Meanwhile, the country has to come to terms with a global financial meltdown.
Other countries facing this crisis seem to have more hope than Thailand, said the writer, because their people are united. But in Thailand everyone is blaming the "other side" for their troubles. If the divisiveness continues, one day Thai society will collapse, said Thai Rath.
The use of excessive force to break up the PAD demonstration, coupled with the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh to show responsibility for the use of force that resulted in deaths and injuries, would strip the Somchai administration of its legitimacy and it would be hard for the government to stay for long, predicted the writer.
AFP reported that Prime Minister Somchai had to scramble over the Parliament fence to escape from the mob laying siege to the building, and he was rescued by a helicopter which ferried him to the Supreme Command headquarters. This emphasises the ineffectiveness of the government, Thai Rath said. If the prime minister of a country has to scramble over the fence to escape the mob, how can he administer the country and enforce the law of the land, the paper asked.
Mr Somchai has two options: resign or dissolve the House of Representatives, returning the power to the people to decide again.
The writer urged Mr Somchai not to stick to his post after it become clear he could not govern, as did his predecessor, because this would damage the country, especially as far as overseas investment and inbound tourism.
The Thai Rath writer recommended that Mr Somchai should choose the option of House dissolution, as this would buy time for all stake-holders to calm down and rethink their strategies. A new government could then place national reconciliation as the utmost priority.
The new government should also aim for reform politics, and the writing of a new constitution acceptable to all, to implement a democracy in which everyone has an equal voice in the country's affairs.
The political crisis in Thailand for the past three years has severely damaged the country. The social divisiveness may take many years to heal. Each day Mr Somchai stays in power is one more day that he piles more suffering onto himself. There will not be a day he will be happy so long as he remains the country's PM, concluded Thai Rath.
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