PPT has been pointing to the use of Nitirat’s proposals as a focal point for bringing the yellow-shirt alliance together. We have noted the role of the military, Democrat Party, People’s Alliance for Democracy (and related groups), a bunch of royalists close to the Privy Council, and so on. The only missing link is a direct statement by privy councilors.
This rearrangement of anti-Thaksin Shinawatra political activists has ensured that Nitirat’s reformist proposals on lese majeste and rolling back military junta laws have become big news. We say “reformist” because there is, for example, no call from Nitirat to abolish the lese majeste law.
PPT has also pointed out how the reform proposals by the Nitirat team have been deliberately construed to make reformist proposals seem like revolutionary republicanism.
That’s why the always difficult to follow Thirayudh Boonmee’s Rip Van Winkle claim that lese majeste “become ‘a very big’ issue if not handled properly” seems both late and misses any political point. Lese majeste is the big issue and has been for some time. “Loyalty” was a theme chosen by the anti-Puea Thai/anti-red shirt lot from the time of the “lom chao” map in 2010, and it became the chosen weapon following the election last July.
Hence, that Puea Thai claim there is a “conspiracy” is not really news to us. After all, the opposition has made it clear that it was going to use the “loyalty” card against Puea Thai and its government. Their suggestion that it is a funded campaign is new, but unlikely to be surprising to many. The claim that the old coup team from 2006 is back together seems like a shot across the bows of privy councilors. We wait to see if Puea Thai or the red shirts name names.
If anyone needs convincing of the use of the Nitirat/lese majeste issue to raise the political temperature need only look at some of the English-language news for the past week:
PT, army, police all back lese majeste law
Thai Divide Growing Over Lese Majeste Law
Nitirat has second thoughts about campaign
PT: Conspiracy to topple government
Lese majeste debate is completely justified
Prayuth tells Nitirat group to think again
PM vows to protect lese majeste law
Lese-majeste law leading to censorship
PT: Conspiracy to destabilise govt
PM to people: Protect monarchy
Thailand lese-majeste law leading to censorship
Abuses in Thailand Continue, Says Human Rights Watch
New heads of state should be sworn in: Nitirat group
Both sides of the argument over lese majeste law
Update: From the Bangkok Post:
The ruling Pheu Thai Party on Friday issued a statement insisting that it has no plan or thought of amending Section 112 of the Criminal Code, the lese majeste law, reports said.
The statement, read out by party leader Yongyuth Wichaidit, said Pheu Thai respects the high institution and abides by a democratic system in which His Majesty the King is constitutional the head of state.
Pheu Thai has no plan or idea to alter the law, as claimed by some people and reported in some media, the statement said.
After they have said it, written it, proclaimed it and demonstrated it you’d guess that the conspiracy claim would be getting stronger. How does the Puea Thai Party respond to an obviously biased mainstream media and the yellow-shirted lese majeste onslaught? They tried doing the work of the yellow shirts and that has led nowhere. Where to now? Arrest the Nitirat lawyers or wake up?
As we said about six weeks ago, no matter how many people this government arrests and jails for lese majeste, the royalists will never see it as a “loyal” government. Doing the work of royalist zealots for them is a dumb political strategy.
