So who were the real winners?

COMMENTARY

Published: 11/07/2011 at 03:06 AM
Newspaper section: News

The real winners? It was clearly not the Pheu Thai Party. It's not that wrong to say that Pheu Thai came up a bit short of its expectations. With Yingluck Shinawatra as the selling point, the party believed that the 300 mark in the poll was not beyond its reach as its internal poll indicated that the momentum was on its side and the Democrat Party's popularity was waning.

Chuvit . . . his plea was rewarded. ILLUSTRATION BY NATTAYA SRISAWANG

But as the turnout of the results showed, Pheu Thai managed to get only 265 out of 500 seats in parliament. A win is a win but winning it big was what Thaksin Shinawatra expected. But the results provided a brutal punishment for the Democrats and anti-Thaksin clans. They haven't fully recovered from their political hangover on July 3.

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About the author

: Writer: Saritdet Marukatat; Position: Opinion-Editorial Pages Editor

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sourgrapes
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Discussion 17 : 12/07/2011 at 02:32 PM17
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#7

And may I know what the Democrat party did for the people in the south who have been voting for them time and time again all these years.
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bkk-farang
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Discussion 16 : 11/07/2011 at 06:32 PM16
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In a way I also like Chuvit's "style" but it looks like many people - again - forget the past. Please remember: Chuvit was a major owner of (not so traditional) massage parlors. He admitted he bribed many people and because he had records of these bribes he could and probably still can blackmail many.
Have a look at Chuvit Park between Sukhumvit Soi 8 and 10 and asks the locals what happened there in 2003 or check it on the Internet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuvit_Garden
I think Chuvit could be good in the opposition if he really wants to support Thailand and Thai people. But maybe he has also a hidden agenda. He has not exactly a clean record.
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spiceman
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Discussion 15 : 11/07/2011 at 04:24 PM15
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So, who won? How's about Mob Rule at the cost of the Rules of Law!
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johnb
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Discussion 14 : 11/07/2011 at 03:00 PM14
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If Chuwit is so good, then why hasn't he looked at the story in yesterday's BP supplement, which clearly stated the Dems paid 4 bus loads of slum dwellers 300 baht each to attend their rally on 1/7/11 at Rama 5 monument? Now that's some serious electoral fraud!
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chybyk
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Discussion 13 : 11/07/2011 at 02:03 PM13
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Yes, Chuwit has become very popular in recent time. His humorous style of campaign was a relief to the tensed political atmosphere. However,let him not become a fastidious person or a noise maker in the house of assembly just to attract media attention for these may amount to waste of time.
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kaweeka
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Discussion 12 : 11/07/2011 at 01:38 PM12
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D8 - it Abhisit is the role model you follow for honesty and good governance then Thailand is truly doomed. Abhisit was like a nerd in a school yard, unable to do anything and being bullied from all sides. If that is leadership, I guess we have read the wrong books about it.

He pretty much presided over one of the most corrupt governments in recent times, letting all his "partners" steal blind from the people as he was at their mercy. And like a good lesson in what happens to weak leaders, he lost resoundly, and his party is one step closer to total irrelevance.

He is so out of touch with the realies of his country that instead of trying to build bridges and reach to the masses, he just kept antagonizing them by apeacing the ultra-nationalists. These guys still believe the military is admired as it used to be admired, and how wrong is he.
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ggh
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Discussion 11 : 11/07/2011 at 12:11 PM11
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Discussion 3 you’re probably correct. There may have never been an elected government that has honestly worked for the people of Thailand, without their own interests the centre of their attention. I’d rather not be too negative about the whole political situation in Thailand so I’m sure at some point in time Thai folks may have benefited from the government. However I do not recall this in recent history.
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abbub
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Discussion 10 : 11/07/2011 at 11:15 AM10
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RAI #7: How can the rural wake up, as you put it after they have been asked to stay asleep for almost eight decades?

The answer is grass roots politics. Red shirts. UDD. Therein lies the potential for answers.

Even the PTP must be changed, from within.
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egon
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Discussion 9 : 11/07/2011 at 10:56 AM9
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Eric:Democracy won?Wake up!
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egon
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Discussion 8 : 11/07/2011 at 10:51 AM8
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Dics2-Tansri:Abhisit will always be in the heart of the people who want to have an ethical,democratic and intelligent government,accepted by world leaders and with no corruption if they would be able to form a government of their own.There is hope when more than 10 milliom thinking thai vote for the democrats.Suthep was right :the country is bought.
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