Yingluck to top the list? | Bangkok Post: learning

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Yingluck Shinawatra, observers say, is likely to be Pheu Thai's candidate for prime minister. She is the only one her brother can trust and she has strengths of her own.

Yingluck Shinawatra's strengths: feminine qualities, coordination skills, business success and her brother's trust. Weaknesses: political inexperience.

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Yingluck to top the list?

Talkative Ratchaburi MP Chavarin Latthasaksiri reportedly upset Pueu Thai de facto leader Thaksin Shinawatra earlier in the week when he announced that Mr Thaksin’s sister Yingluck would be number 1 on the party list, thereby making her the party’s candidate for prime minister.

It’s not that the information was wrong. It just came too early and deputy leader Plodprasob Surasawadee was assigned to deny that any decision had been made.

To most observers, however, it seems certain that Yingluck Shinawatra will be vying with current prime minister Democrat Abhisit Vejjajiva for the nation’s top political job. 

Ms Yingluck, they say, is the only person Thaksin can trust with the mission to help clear all the legal charges against him and to bring him home a free man. If Thaksin gives Ms Yingluck the thumbs-up, it is unlikely she will stab him in the back.

She also has strengths of her own in her feminine, gentle qualities, her ability to coordinate and reconcile and in her image as a successful businesswoman. The party can campaign for her as the country's first female prime minister and observers feel this would draw the support of many voters.

However, Ms Yingluck also has weaknesses. She lacks experience in politics and cannot compare with Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrat Party and Thaksin and key figures of Pheu Thai are aware of this.

She is likely to have a team of advisers who will help her on strategy and to respond to criticism from her political rivals, particularly Mr Abhisit.

Indeed, Mr Abhisit has already started. On Tuesday he called on Pheu Thai to unveil its candidate as voters have the right to know who was offering to run the country.

It was impractical to run the country over the telephone, Mr Abhisit said, clearly referring to Mr Thaksin.
 
Adapted from a story by Aekarach Sattaburuth and Manop Thip-Osod in yesterday's Bangkok Post.

feminine – having the qualities or appearance considered to be typical of women; connected with women เป็นผู้หญิง,ของผู้หญิง,  เกี่ยวกับลักษณะของผู้หญิง
quality – a thing that is part of a person's character, especially something good คุณลักษณะ
coordination – the act of making all the people involved in a plan or activity work together in an organised way การประสานกัน
talkative – liking to talk a lot ช่างพูด, ช่างคุย
reportedly – as reported (often used for showing that you are not certain that something you are reporting is true) ตามที่รายงาน
upset – to cause to be very worried, angry or sad about something  ทำให้หงุดหงิด
de facto – in reality;  in fact อย่างแท้จริง, อันที่จริง, ตามความจริง
party list (proportional representation system) – a system that gives each party in an election a number of seats in relation to the number of votes its candidates receive ระบบสัดส่วน, ระบบปาร์ตี้ลิสต์
candidate – a person who is trying to be elected ผู้สมัครรับเลือกตั้ง
deputy – a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation รอง
assign – to give someone a job to do มอบหมาย, สั่งงาน
deny – to say that something is not true or does not exist ปฏิเสธ
observer – a person who watches and analyses a situation ผู้สังเกตการณ์
vying (from the verb vie) – competing strongly with someone ลงแข่งขัน, ลงชิง
current – of the present time ปัจจุบัน
nation – a country considered as a group of people with the same language, culture and history, who live in a particular area under one government; all the people in a country ประเทศ, คนในประเทศ
mission – an important piece of work that a person or a group of people has been given to do ภาระกิจ หน้าที่
legal – relating to the law or lawyers เกี่ยวกับกฎหมาย
charge – an official statement accusing someone of committing a crime ข้อหา
thumbs-up – approval; acceptance การเห็นด้วย
stab in the back – to do or say something that harms somebody who trusts you หักหลัง, ทรยศ
gentle – not strong or extreme เบาๆ, ค่อยๆ
reconcile – to become friendly again after a disagreement (ทำให้)ปรองดองกัน
image – an opinion that people have about someone or something ภาพลักษณ์
campaign – to take part in a planned series of activities (a campaign) designed to persuade voters to vote for a particular candidate or political party รณรงค์หาเสียง
female – being a woman or a girl สตรี, ผู้หญิง, เพศหญิ
draw – to attract or interest somebody ดึงดูดความสนใจ
key – most important  ที่สำคัญ
figure – someone who is important in some way บุคคลสำคัญ
aware – knowing that something exists, or having knowledge or experience of a particular thing ทราบ
adviser – a person who gives advice, especially somebody who knows a lot about a particular subject ที่ปรึกษา
strategy– a plan or method for achieving something, especially over a long period of time ยุทธวิธี, แผนการ  
criticism – comments that show that you think something is wrong or bad การวิจารณ์
rival – a person you are competing against or opposing คู่แข่ง
unveil – to announce something that was not known before เปิดเผยข้อมูล
impractical – of something that cannot be done or used easily or effectively ซึ่งไม่มีประสิทธิภาพเมื่อนำมาใช้งานจริง,ที่ใช้งานไม่ได้

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