Critical support

Critical support

Kraisak Choonhavan feels the NCPO's reform approach needs a rethink v Gen Prayut learns the hard way that confrontation with the press is counter-productive v Abhisit is the latest politician to bow to the public gathering ban

Criticalsupport

For a man whose family staged and was ousted from power by military coups, Kraisak Choonhavan feels he can provide some input into how the country should be shaped in the current era.

Mr Kraisak, the only son of the late premier Chatichai Choonhavan and Thanpuying Boonruen Choonhavan, recalled the days when his grandfather, Lt Gen Phin Choonhavan led the coup that toppled the government under the late prime minister Luang Adm Thamrongnawasawatent in 1947.

Gen Chatichai was himself ousted as prime minister in a coup in February 1991 engineered by the National Peace Keeping Council, which subsequently saw Gen Suchinda Kraprayoon installed as the new prime minister. The public outcry against the unelected Gen Suchinda taking over the premiership culminated in the so-called Black May protests of 1992.

Mr Kraisak has been through the ups and downs of national politics and has spoken out about the roles and priorities of the latest coup-makers, the National Council for Peace and Order.

He insists the foremost task of the NCPO should be the overhaul of local administration organisations if power decentralisation is to be realised.

The NCPO has set itself the ultimate goal of reforming the country after seizing power from the Yingluck Shinawatra government. Public expectations for all-round national reforms are high and people trust that the job will be done properly by the coup masterminds.

As reforms are being championed as its centrepiece policy, the government must take stock of what takes place on the ground and local sentiment about state projects that have an impact on people's livelihoods. 

The kind of environment-destroying developments that are presented in the guise of large-scale and critical infrastructure projects require a rethink. If the local residents and grassroots administration organisations are not given the power to decide that a particular project will directly affect them, conflicts will continue to flare, as is seen in many places. The country will remain unstable and reforms which fail to address local needs will be pointless.

Mr Kraisak says he does not agree with certain methods and approaches the NCPO has adopted in pursuit of reforms. He feels the junta should allow open expression of thought about the reforms. Shunning open talk on suspicion of igniting political division runs counter to the promotion of ideas and stands in the way of the reforms the NCPO is trying to push through.

Mr Kraisak's detractors say he has connections with the People's Democratic Reform Committee which rallied against the Yingluck Shinawatra government for six months. He composed a song for the PDRC's Bangkok shutdown activities where the protesters blockaded key commercial intersections of the capital early this year.

They say that if the PDRC's rallies were one of the catalysts for the May 22 coup, then Mr Kraisak would have to be one of the backers. 

But Mr Kraisak's supporters make it clear the former senator wants to be part of the solution, not the problem.

A gentler,
kinder PM

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Government House reporters have not had the greatest of relationships since the coup leader took over as the country's leader.

Verbal clashes are frequently witnessed during routine question and answer sessions.

Gen Prayut concedes he can be less than patient when answering some of the questions directed at him by reporters. However he insists he does not mean any harm.

But a close close to the premier said he is trying to stay calmer and "put a lid on it" when the questioning gets tough.

It's now evident that the recently retired army chief is choosing to speak less at routine press conferences. He takes fewer questions from reporters and keeps his replies short and makes his way to the main Thai Ku Fah building immediately after finishing a session.

He has ordered the podium during press conferences to be removed, which is an indication he does not wish to stay long and respond to questions. The source said the longer he remains on stage speaking to reporters, the harder it is for him to keep his cool.

A source in Gen Prayut's team of personal aides said the premier wants to get to know reporters on the Government House beat. The team has decided to invite the reporters to a New Year warm-up party to be attended by Gen Prayut in December.

The team, however, has a favour to ask of the reporters going to the event; they should give Gen Prayut a break with their questions.

The get-together should be a casual affair over a meal, according to the team.

Possibly included in the itinerary of the event is a performance, such as a classical dance by the reporters. Entertainment provided by reporters has been recommended by Gen Prayut himself.

It does come as a surprise to many that Gen Prayut is throwing a party for reporters. During the four years he served as army chief, he never sat down at a specially arranged meal with the members of the media. Chiefs of other forces made it a point to meet the press over lunch or dinner at least once a year, either before or after the New Year.

Gen Prayut also never gave away New Year gifts to reporters during his time as army commander. However, this time, the premier's close aides have been surveying the number of Government House reporters as it is rumoured he plans to give them diaries as New Year presents.

The source said Gen Prayut has adjusted himself to the role of prime minister, which involves coming into frequent contact with media outlets. He will need to interact with the reporters often over the next year, which is the amount of time he gives the current government to complete its key missions, including implementing the ambitious national reforms.

There is a lot riding on the planned reforms and the complex nature of the issues will raise public curiosity about the changes that will take place in the country. That means Gen Prayut will have a great deal of explaining to do and the reporters are at the ready to ask some tough questions.

Martial law's
harshest policy

Any public gathering by politicians and activists seems to hit a raw nerve with the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), which has since the May 22 coup banned political gatherings.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is the latest politician to decide to steer clear of possible trouble when learning security authorities were uncomfortable with his planned appearance at a temple in the northeastern province of Buri Ram.

According to a source, the Democrat leader was scheduled to preside over a krathin or robe-offering ceremony in Prakhon Chai district, one of the Democrats' political strongholds in the region, early this week.

Security authorities in the province had approached the organisers of the merit-making event and asked them to "drop" Mr Abhisit from the plan. They were concerned about the possible commotion that might break out if some "uninvited guests" showed up to rally against the Democrat leader.

The organisers, who are also local leaders of the anti-Thaksin People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), refused to comply. They reasoned the krathin event, organised once a year to mark the end of Buddhist Lent, is a huge key religious event with months-long preparations. Moreover, large billboards were erected to welcome Mr Abhisit and invite local people to take part.

After failing to persuade the organisers to keep the Democrat leader out of the event, security authorities turned to the chairman of the party branch in Buri Ram to convey their concerns.

At the end of the day, Mr Abhisit was a "no-show" at the event, much to the bewilderment of the participants who tried to make sense of how a merit-making function could be turned into a political activity.

Mr Abhisit is not the only politician forced to abandon a religious pilgrimage.

Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has reportedly cancelled a trip to join a merit-making activity at Wat Pa Bodh Gaya in Bihar in India after word spread that some former Pheu Thai Party ministers and MPs were scheduled to attend it as well.

The ex-premier was expected to join the event with his sister and former premier, Yingluck Shinawatra, following their reunion in Japan early this week. According to some media reports, the NCPO asked the Shinawatras not to meet their supporters there.

As a matter of fact, many politicians and activists have chosen to keep a low profile under the NCPO's rule.

PDRC leader Suthep Thaugsuban was warned after the May 22 coup against holding gatherings that could upset the path to national reconciliation and reform. He has since taken a break from politics and entered the monkhood.

The Pheu Thai leadership and red shirts distanced themselves from any gatherings until recently when former deputy House speaker and ex-party-list MP Apiwan Wiriyachai passed away while he was in exile in the Philippines.

The cremation of Col Apiwan, a core red-shirt member, at Wat Bang Phai in Nonthaburi's Bang Bua Thong district became the biggest public gathering of Pheu Thai and red-shirt supporters since the coup.

Ms Yingluck, former deputy commerce minister Nattawut Saikuar and red-shirt leader Jatuporn Prompan were among key figures paying tribute to Col Apiwan.

The cremation, believed to be under the close watch of security authorities, proceeded without any signs that it would be used to rally against the NCPO.

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