The latest nomination of a former top army officer to sit on the proposed national reconciliation committee goes against what the panel is trying to achieve, which is to forge unity, say critics.
Deputy Defence Minister Gen Chaichan Changmongkol, a former defence permanent secretary, has been put forward for membership of the committee by none other than Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Gen Chaichan will be one of two government representatives on the proposed reconciliation committee. What some have found to be bewildering is the reason Gen Prayut offered to justify his backing of Gen Chaichan as a unity panellist.
The premier cited the need for the panel to include an authoritative voice for security. However, no deeper explanation was given that would validate a link between national security and the building of reconciliation.
Critics have charged that Gen Prayut has tried to "militarise" the business of government and he has now set out to do the same with the unity committee.
The panel has faced stiff hurdles right from the start. It was like throwing a party with few guests turning up, according to a political observer.
The panel will be represented by seven groups: two each from the government, government MPs, opposition MPs, senators, the anti-government protesters and other concerned groups, plus nine academics and experts.
While the member segments may be diverse, all eyes were on the group that matters the most: the anti-government movement under the umbrella of the Ratsadon group.
The observer said the protesters had insisted they would not be part of what they consider a political charade engineered to buy time. Some supporters of the movement also said that if they dignified the panel by participating in it, they would risk losing momentum of the anti-government protests, which they had worked so hard to build in the past several months.
The protesters stood their ground, maintaining they were prepared to make no concessions when it came to meeting their core demands: Gen Prayut's resignation, the rewriting of the constitution and monarchy reform.
Despite the panel getting off to a rough start, the observer said there remained a chance that all sides, including the protesters, would be compelled to eventually go to the negotiating table or at least enter into a dialogue with the authorities. The observer said the anti-government movement couldn't keep protesting forever, just as the government couldn't afford to ignore the growing resistance from the Ratsadon members.
But the presence of the deputy defence minister on the panel would only see the prospect of a united reconciliation committee ebbing away since the military is an issue much criticised by the protesters, who insist their movement was born out of -- and galvanised by -- their mission to defeat dictatorship and restore democracy.
The panel would have a hard time accomplishing its task if the protesters abstained from talking with the government for too long since the situation on the streets could reach breaking point. Although the protests have gone into "recess" for a strategic rework, the rally organisers have declared they will return after the New Year with more force and go the extra mile in intensifying their demands.
In the meantime, Gen Chaichan's expected appointment to the panel also threatens to strain relations within the coalition government.
It was reported earlier this week that the government had named Terdpong Chaiyanant, a Democrat Party MP, and Suporn Atthawong, vice minister to the Prime Minister's Office, as its representatives on the reconciliation panel.
However, Mr Suporn's participation has run into opposition from politicians who felt that this former key figure in the red-shirt United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship had exchanged heated words with protesters and therefore might not be an ideal person for a peacebroker role.
The pity is that Mr Suporn appears to have been dropped in favour of Gen Chaichan.
The observer said if he were included on the panel, Mr Suporn might offer it useful advice given his long experience working with the red-shirt protesters in the past.
Thanathorn: Insists Progressives did well
1 out of 3 isn't so bad
The Democrat Party should proudly celebrate winning the election of a provincial administrative organisation (PAO) chairman in Songkhla last Sunday despite losing in the other two provinces they contested, say observers.
The PAO polls, which took place everywhere except Bangkok and Pattaya, were seen as a test of political parties' popularity almost two years after the general election. Most candidates and political groups they ran for are known to have the backing of political parties.
The Democrats fielded candidates in three southern provinces -- Songkhla, Satun and Surat Thani -- and won only in Songkhla, where their candidate, Paijen Maksuwan, defeated Col Suchart Chantrachotikul from the "Songkhla Pracharath" group.
In Satun, Democrat candidate Katechart Kesa lost to former PAO chairman Samrit Liangprasit of the "Satun Santitham" group, while in Surat Thani its candidate and former MP Chumpol Kanchana was defeated by Pongsak "Kamnan Sak" Chakaew from the "Khon Rak Surat" group.
Observers say the Songkhla victory was a welcome seasonal gift for the Democrats considering their poor performance in last year's general election.
Then, the Democrats were wiped out in Bangkok, failing to win a single seat in the capital. The party also underperformed in the southern region, its long-established political stronghold, winning just 22 House seats out of the 50 available there. The humiliating election loss had triggered the question of whether the country's oldest political party would be able to retake control of its turf.
Mr Paijen's poll victory is therefore seen as a sign that the Democrats might be down but they are not out and still have hope of regaining their strength in the South.
Moreover, some observers may consider this as sweet revenge over Col Suchart.
That name may not ring any bells with outsiders but locals know him as the man behind the ruling Palang Pracharath Party's (PPRP) victory in the South at the general election. While he was not on the 2019 ballot, he reportedly played a key role in the PPRP establishing roots there and grabbing 13 House seats.
Col Suchart turned his focus to seeking the PAO chairmanship in Songkhla and was considered favourite to win a tight race but the Democrats' clout proved too tough for him.
Given the overall outcome of last Sunday's PAO elections, observers agree the Democrats' political dominance remains intact, at least in Songkhla, one of the party's strongholds.
Several successful candidates in PAO chairmanship polls were backed by the party, even though they stood under the banner of local groups. The winners in Phatthalung, Trang, Phuket, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Chumphon all have affiliations with key Democrat figures.
Observers also consider the PAO elections encouraging for the main opposition Pheu Thai Party, which took the chief executive posts in nine provinces out of 25, including a high-profile victory in Chiang Mai.
That contest was a race between two bigwigs who were once in the same camp loyal to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.
Mr Thaksin sent open letters calling for support for Pheu Thai candidate Pichai Lertpongadisorn after the party came under verbal attack from Jatuporn Prompan. The red-shirt leader had backed Boonlert Buranupakorn, a former Chiang Mai PAO chair, and accused Pheu Thai of unfairly dropping him in favour of Mr Pichai.
Observers reckon the biggest losses in the PAO polls were suffered by the Progressive Movement led by Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit. They fielded candidates in 42 provinces and even though 2.67 million people voted for them the group didn't win a single PAO chairmanship.
However, observers say it might be unfair to conclude that the PAO polls reflected a decline in popularity of the group that was formed after the Future Forward Party (FFP) was dissolved.
Mr Thanathorn insisted that the Progressive Movement's performance was on par with, perhaps even better than, FFP's in last year's general election. The Progressive Movement won 17% of the popular vote in the PAO polls, while the FFP won 16.2% last year.