And so we are back to the waiting

And so we are back to the waiting

‘Can’t live if living is without coups, I can’t live, I can’t give anymore, No, no, no, I can’t live, if living is without coups.’

Thais are humming their own version of this Harry Nilsson song again and hope it will be the last time.

Like it or not, the coup is here and the generals look set to stay with us for some time.

After those 200 days of unrest, one question asked on Thursday was the game changer.

Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha wanted Chaikasem Nitisiri to say whether the caretaker government and cabinet would resign.

When the reply from Mr Chaikasem, who was then still justice minister and chief negotiator for the government, was “no”, history repeated itself.

Mr Chaikasem gave the right answer as far as the position of the government and the Pheu Thai Party was concerned.

If the prime minister and the ministers wanted to step down, they would have done so 100 days ago when the People’s Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) rallies peaked and drew huge crowds fed up with the administration into the streets.

The legitimacy of the recently deposed government ended with the vote for the amnesty bill in parliament but it banked on new elections to save itself. The PDRC only called for the Thaksin regime to be uprooted.

But when the demands of the conflicting sides got too extreme, Gen Prayuth decided it was time to call the shots. Let’s face it. It was the only practical option available after all seven parties failed to pass their take-home exam assigned by the army leader on Wednesday.

Now Gen Prayuth has his own homework to finish. He cannot please Pheu Thai or the PDRC. A new general election must be held for sure.

But measures to make the next one fair must be in place. A fair poll means all can be allowed to run including anybody in the Shinawatra family still eligible.

Thailand did not just get into this mess because of Thaksin Shinawatra, Somchai Wongsawat and Yingluck Shinawatra. They only added to the mix, to the point where people could not stand it anymore.

Who can guarantee that all those former politicians on the PDRC stage are clean and have never bought votes on their way to the House of Representatives? The same goes with those sitting outside the conflict.

Gen Prayuth will be annoyed by angry shouts inside and outside Thailand. The Americans were the first to react, promising to cut military assistance and putting military exercises on hold.

More punitive measures will come. This is the world of double standards as far as western countries are concerned. The army chief, who chairs the National Council for Peace and Order, perhaps can call his Egyptian colleagues for advice.

The point is, this is the time for Thailand to clean house. It was politically dirty long before Thaksin stepped outside of his telecoms world.

Do the following examples ring a bell — the Sor Por Kor 4-01 case, the Klong Dan project, and the ill-fated fire truck and boat schemes?

To excuse abuses of authority by past governments and clear corruption cases in the name of amnesty would, along with the rice pledging scheme, have been the final straw in Thailand’s ugly world of politics and deal making.

Now it’s down to the coup-makers to live up to what they promised last week, including reform and a new poll which must be open to all - not just an exclusive one that precludes anyone with an unpopular last name.

The country is waiting to see what the generals will do.

All that we can do for the time being is to slip out and get some good selfies with the soldiers out there, sing the “Without Coups” song to them, and come back home to watch the NCPO screen on TV and see which orders signed by Gen Prayuth move the country forward, and which take us in the opposite direction.

Last but not least, it should not be forgotten that the generals did not exactly invite themselves to seize power. Corrupt politicians did. The same old lesson has never been learned.


Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.

Saritdet Marukatat

Bangkok Post columnist and former Digital Media News Editor

Saritdet Marukatat is a Bangkok Post columnist and former Digital Media News Editor at the paper. Contact Saritdet at saritdet@yahoo.com

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