OPINION

Questions remain

Re: "MFP survives first calls for dissolution", (BP, June 12).

Most independent political analysts, and probably the majority of citizens, today assume the ruling elites will not allow the Move Forward Party (MFP) to form the next government, or participate in it, whatever the cost.

Central to the ruling elites' angst-ridden dilemma are the 292 lower house seats currently held by the MFP and Pheu Thai. Simple arithmetic tells them it is not possible to form a coalition government commanding a majority in the lower house without including one of these two dominant parties.

So, to know our future, we need the answers to only two questions.

Firstly, is Thaksin Shinawatra and his Pheu Thai Party now an acceptable coalition partner for the ruling elites, in spite of being their nemesis for the last 20 years?

If the answer is yes, then expect a Pheu Thai and ruling elites coalition with a non-Pheu Thai prime minister. If the answer is no, and Pheu Thai is still unacceptable and untrustworthy, then the country faces an impasse.

The ruling elites could form a minority government and allow chaos to evolve as a pretext for another coup, or constitutional powers might be invoked and a prime minister appointed without regard to the election results.

The second question will be answered by the people. Will they accept, once again, the ruling elites' decision to thwart the people's cry for change?

Re: "On Chiang's orders" and "Just for defence", (PostBag, June 10).

If I might defend by slightly revising Eric Bahrt's more important point in this instance against the useful historical corrective provided by Przemo Kranz, Taiwan, like South Korea, only truly flourished from the 1980s on after it had managed to free itself of the curse of military interference in civil matters. This is where the difference between Taiwan and China is salient. The Taiwanese can freely investigate, discover, speak out. China ruthlessly censors the commemoration by Chinese citizens of the evil committed at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

If it is to flourish as they have, Thailand should follow the progressive examples of Taiwan and South Korea, not China or North Korea.

Re: "Senators still the biggest threat to Pita", (Opinion, June 12).

Veera Prateepchaikul was right in saying that the biggest threat to MFP leader Pita Limjaroenrat's push for PM is the Senate. Mr Pita's eight-party coalition government still needs at least 63 votes from senators to satisfy Mr Pita's quest for PM. And truth be told, he is not very popular among senators.

The main hurdle is Mr Pita and the MFP's push to amend the lese majeste law to open the way to abolish it later totally.

The MFP may have won 14 million votes in the May 14 election, but that victory represents only one-third of the overall number of voters. The winning votes also include those from conservatives who are fed up with the Prayut Chan-o-cha government's performance.

According to the polls, most Thais want Thailand to be a country with the King as the head of state as stipulated in the constitution.

And senators are expected to play by the rules without bias.

The MFP should show its humility, not defiance.