Korkaew Pikulthong is a loose cannon who needs to be restrained by the ruling Pheu Thai Party if the government really wants to be taken seriously by the law-abiding public and not be viewed as a laughing stock.
His remarks on Wednesday, which were made in the full glare of the media and broadcast nationwide, are outrageous, totally unacceptable and unbecoming of an MP of the government camp.
In his soft-speaking monotone, the party list MP threatened Constitution Court judges that they would be kidnapped by the people and charged with treason if the court ruled against the government’s charter amendment bill this Friday.
Korkaew Pikulthong (Photo by Apichit Jinakul)
He incited hatred of the ammart (elite) clique, accusing them of plotting a coup against the government by mobilising people to confront the red-shirt supporters, leading to violence that would justify the military intervening and seizing power.
Mr Korkaew, who is also a core member of the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship, could well have caused public panic with his prediction of a civil war.
He told red-shirt followers to brace for an all-out civil war, asking them to stay home and wait for his signal. "Once you hear a whistle blow, pack your bags and bid farewell to your family. Then it will be a decisive fight for us," he was quoted as saying.
His outrageous rant, the threat against the judges and his talk of a possible civil war, constitute criminal offences which may land him on trouble with the law.
But Mr Korkaew does not feel worried because he is protected by parliamentary immunity whenever the House is in session. It is to resume in session on Aug 1.
Above all, he must think he is untouchable because he is a red-shirt co-leader. After all, what police officer would want to book him? Not one of the big shots in the government or the Pheu Thai Party has ever bothered to tell him to shut his trap.
I wonder how Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra expects to convince the American businessmen she is due to meet in Phnom Penh on Friday to invest in Thailand, when an MP of her own party has exhorted his red-shirt followers, the government’s supporters, to brace for a possible civil war?
Or how will Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong allay the concerns of local and foreign investors here at home? Will he just tell them not to take Mr Korkaew seriously because he is just a clown, or even insane?
I only hope that most red-shirt followers show common sense, that they are smart enough not to be led around by the nose by Mr Korkaew and his like.
And as for Mr Korkaew, the next time he wants to make a similar rant he should first resign as an MP, and give up his parliamentary immunity. In that case, he just may spare his party and the government a lot of embarrassment.