An election is a way forward
The London Times (26 April 2010) has a leading article on Thailand’s political crisis. It begins by observing that “Thailand’s political crisis has gone on for so long now…. Thailand’s agony has the potential to become a headache for countries far from South-East Asia, and to bring dangerous instability to one of the world’s most strategically important regions.”
Recognizing the now widespread discussion of civil war, the Times says: “If Thailand sinks into civil war, as many Thais fear, the consequences will be disastrous…”. For Europe and the West it seems. What about for Thais?
The Times does get it right when it asserts that the “current crisis illustrates a lesson that should have been learnt in Thailand long ago — the unpredictable and self-defeating consequences of military coups.”
Apparently Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva “has qualities of a promising leader — charm, education and cosmopolitanism (he was born and educated in Britain). But from the beginning he has been undermined by a simple and devastating fact — that his party has lost every election under his leadership and achieved power only as a consequence of military force.”
A promising leader? Really? As PPT has shown more than once, he lies to the media and hopes that his “charm” will cover his faults of arrogance and stubbornness. Now he has blood on his hands. He has been called a puppet. If he is, he has shown that he is prepared to do anything to keep power for the ruling class. Should Abhisit’s government get through this crisis, PPT has few doubts that it will be a political disaster for Thailand. We would doubt that this government will want an election for several years.* Wither Thai democracy?
The Times says that a “political settlement is the only acceptable solution, and it will require compromise by both sides. Mr Abhisit must accept the Red Shirts’ proposal of new elections in three months, a wholly reasonable proposal that he rejected out of hand in a nationwide broadcast yesterday. He must acknowledge that he has become part of the problem, and step down immediately — not for exile, as the Red Shirts demand, but for an honest fight at the ballot box.”
Read it all.
*Abhisit has again reported in this way on elections:
Mr Abhisit reiterated that he would not call for fresh election until the situation returned to normal and conditions are in place for a fair and safe election campaign. The government also has the duty to pass the state budget for the next fiscal year in parliament, he said.
“We have to discuss all problems including creating an atmosphere conducive to fair elections. The next election must not be a bloody one. ”All candidates must be able to campaign freely as should be the way in a democratic society,” he said in his weekly programme, Having Confidence in Thailand with Prime Minister Abhisit.
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