A very bad idea

[flippogirl]

If we have to believe the “rumours”, the Yingluck government has amended the Amnesty Decree to the extend that it opens the door to include former PM Thaksin.

Given the current flooding situation, which causes already enough problems for the country in general and the people in particular, opening a “backdoor” to let Mr. Thaksin back into the country without facing proper justice is imo a very bad idea.

By, allegedly, doing that, you open the door to widespread political unrest, which at this point is the last thing the country needs.

This should be the stance of everybody involved, regardless whether you think that Mr. Thaksins conviction was rightful or not.

A lot also is made of Ms. Yingluck been “stuck” in Sing Buri and not being able to attend the cabinet meeting about the amnesty decree.
The most voiced opinion is that she wants to distance herself from the decree to give her the possibility to say, see, got nothing to do with me. I agree with the analysis that this is not an option, because as head of the government she is the ultimate responsible.
I’d like to offer a different possibility though, which is that Ms. Yinglucks absence was indeed deliberate, but because she does not support the decree, and is looking for a way to prevent the effect that her brother is “freed”. Rather than seeking a confrontation with her cabinet members, maybe she is looking for a more diplomatic way to achieve this. After all, that’s what we’ve seen from Ms. Yingluck, trying very hard to be “diplomatically correct”, which often has been explained as lack of experience and leadership.
For me it’s just a very different type of leadership.

Even though I’ve been supportive of Ms. Yingluck in her efforts related to the flooding, both on the forum and in the BP posts, I will honestly say that if Ms. Yingluck does support the Amnesty Decree for the sake of bringing her brother back, I will never write one single word in support of her anymore. She will have lost all my respect.

[suzanne]

Is the former PM offering to pay for a massive clean-up and new infrastructure? If so, that would be the only reason to consider him at the present time. He could most likely afford it, and if he truly loves Thailand, let him prove it with his money spent to ease the suffering of "his" people.

[flippogirl]

Dear Suzanne,

Please get serious. PROPER infrastructure is going to cost between 800 and 1200 Billion Baht.

No single person can come up with that kind of money.

[clarkkent]

I do agree that Yingluck's absence from the Cabinet meeting was indeed deliberate to distance her from the "backdoor" amnesty for her beloved brother. Consider that when she found out how shocked she was!!

Oh how could my Deputy PM do such a thing!! I didn"t know anything about it!! Shouldn't she have been the one to rescind the amendment??

Barbie; you're the PM, and you didn't know?? You let your DPM do as he wishes without your knowledge??

Who's running this country?? When if the PM is not in attendance - that her cabinet can do as they wish!!

So sad for Barbie; her cabinet has no respect for her whatsoever!! No there's something to shed a tear about.

[perplexed]

I do agree that Yingluck's absence from the Cabinet meeting was indeed deliberate to distance her from the "backdoor" amnesty for her beloved brother. Consider that when she found out how shocked she was!!

Oh how could my Deputy PM do such a thing!! I didn"t know anything about it!! Shouldn't she have been the one to rescind the amendment??

Barbie; you're the PM, and you didn't know?? You let your DPM do as he wishes without your knowledge??

Who's running this country?? When if the PM is not in attendance - that her cabinet can do as they wish!!

So sad for Barbie; her cabinet has no respect for her whatsoever!! No there's something to shed a tear about.

I also question who is in charge when the PM doesn't know that her Deputy will secretly table an amendment to the laws to give her brother a royal pardon. And she didn't know? Not the kind of leader that we need to run our country when she's not in control just a ceremonial PM, nothing more. So sad for Thailand.

[perplexed]

Here's another example of Yingluck not knowing what the members of her cabinet are doing - her Minister of Foreign Affairs is to give thaksin a Thai passport.

Our PM said she knows nothing about it!

Her red supporters are to pressure the courts to return MP status to its leader, Jatuporn, the same guy who led 90 people to their deaths so that he and his gang could be given parliamentary seats!

Yingluck do you know anyting about this either?

Uh, madame PM, do you know anything about anything?

Excuse me are you the, for real PM, or just a ceremonial leader?