NEWS MAKER
Jakrapob, man on a (misguided) mission?
- Published: 6/05/2009 at 12:00 AM
- Newspaper section: News
The last time I met Jakrapob Penkair was on June 26, 2008. Walking into his office, Malagan Company Limited on Phattanakarn Road, I saw a happy, smiling face greet me. Back then, Mr Jakrapob had just resigned from his post as Prime Minister's Office minister in the Samak government. He had also recently been charged with lese majeste for his speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT) in August 2007, where he had spoken about democracy and the Thai patronage system.
A garlanded Jakrapob Penkair, with Veera Musikhapong at his side, awaits his turn at the microphone at a UDD gathering earlier this year.
As I interviewed Mr Jakrapob, we exchanged perspectives on politics. He told me that the majority of Thais had a peculiar way of looking at things. If they suspected something, they either accepted it as it was, or moved away from it. But in a democratic society, questions had to be raised. Mr Jakrapob's disagreement with the way Thai politics functioned was essentially his attempt to ask questions.
During the past year, Mr Jakrapob has transformed his abstract questions into concrete measures. He rode on the back of democracy, as he often claimed, in the mission of removing dictatorship from Thai politics. In his mind, he is a true defender of democracy.
But the incident of April 13, 2009 that unfolded the violent side of his campaign under the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), has made some Thais uncomfortable, even worried, about his kind of democracy.
Who really is Jakrapob Penkair?
Mr Jakrapob was born in 1967 into a middle-class family. His upbringing was rather privileged, however. Spending his early education years at Sathit Kaset School and later at the elitist Chulalongkorn University, Mr Jakrapob earned his Master's degree from Johns Hopkins. He once worked at one of Thailand's largest conglomerates, Charoen Pokphand Group (CP), before moving over to the prestigious Foreign Ministry.
He gave up his diplomat job because of his passion for journalism. His coverage of the Apec meeting in Thailand in 2003 attracted the attention of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The latter offered Mr Jakrapob the government spokesperson's post. This was how Thaksin and Mr Jakrapob crossed paths.
Through the years, Mr Jakrapob rose to become one of Thaksin's confidantes. Their relationship could have been forged on a variety of platforms and interests. But Mr Jakrapob made clear that "democracy" was the principle he truly shared with Thaksin. On this ground, Mr Jakrapob was not afraid to take sides.
The military coup of September 2006 called their brand of democracy into question. What Mr Jakrapob has done afterwards is to prove that he still believes in democracy, and that his version of democracy could lead the way for a new Thailand.
His collision with President of the Privy Council, Prem Tinsulanonda, is part of proving his democratic credentials. He revealed at the FCCT that he, with a few others, was planning to set up a government-in-exile in the aftermath of the coup. But the plan collapsed due to intense pressure from extra-constitutional factions.
Mr Jakrapob has never given up, though. He is one of the original founders of the UDD. His mission was clear: toppling the Democrat party's government, getting rid of "dictatorship" and restoring democracy.
Mr Jakrapob told me that Thailand has long been run by khun naang (nobles), and that there is no room for phrai (commoners), supposedly like himself. These khun naang have operated from their ivory towers and never cared to understand the plight of poor farmers. Thaksin became the first leader who opened up political space for the poor and never took their wishes for granted.
It could be that Mr Jakrapob sees a mini-Thaksin in himself. Like Thaksin, Mr Jakrapob is well-educated and highly ambitious. In waging war against the rich Bangkok elites, Mr Jakrapob carefully nurtures his image as an authentic friend of the have-nots, in line with Thaksin's populist campaign designed to empower the grassroots. His self-depiction as a champion of the poor earned him the reputation of being a young leader who is fighting for equality and justice.
But Mr Jakrapob himself lives a comfortable life. He is CEO of an up-and-coming media production house. Some people may question: what is wrong about the rich defending the poor? Argentina's super rich Juan Peron also claimed to work for the have-nots. Mr Jakrapob's political thought has probably been shaped by his exposure to Western ideology during his years in the United States. In fact, his tenure at the Foreign Ministry (known to be run by the aristocracy) could have also moulded his political thinking.
Since the violent clash between the UDD and the security forces last month, Mr Jakrapob has gone into hiding. His periodic interviews with foreign media suggest that the campaign to bring back the so-called Thai democracy is very much ongoing. But his recent statements worry some Thais.
He told the BBC: "I believe the room for unarmed and non-violent means to resolve Thailand's problem is getting smaller every day."
Obviously, he is endorsing an armed struggle against the Thai government.
Is Mr Jakrapob following in the footsteps of past leaders, like those who went underground to destabilise the Japanese occupation of Thailand in the Second World War? Or is he emulating similar tactics used by the Thai Communist Party in its subversion attempt against the Thai state? Whatever the motivation that drives him, Mr Jakrapob's current mission is a zero-sum game. He is now a fugitive from Thai law. He was tainted by his perceived anti-monarchy beliefs. His staunch support for Thaksin fails to cast him in good light, at least in the eyes of the Bangkok elite.
Unless Thailand successfully goes through a revolutionary stage where the tables are turned and Thaksin re-emerges as the true winner in the power struggle, Mr Jakrapob's future looks extremely bleak.
His subversive plan has already been rejected by some UDD members.
As Thailand is heading down the road to reconciliation, Mr Jakrapob's rebellious act may prove counter-productive for Thailand's future.
Mr Jakrapob's last message to me in January this year was that he wished me "all the best in this imperfect world". I honestly wonder if his urge for an armed struggle would really make imperfect Thailand perfect.
- Dr Pavin Chachavalpongpun is a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.
About the author
- Writer: DR PAVIN CHACHAVALPONGPUN
