Ruling class pawns are moving

Some time ago, Eugénie Mérieau wrote about the role of the courts as a kind of “deep state” and “surrogate king.”

It seems to PPT that, despite its corruption, the courts have indeed become the institution that patrols the boundaries of the monarch and monarchy, ensuring the maintenance of ruling class power with the monarchy at its apogee. They are the ruling class’s pawns and they are being played.

Events since the 2014 military coup have seen the various courts front and center in punishing those who transgress the boundaries, discursive and otherwise. Recent events suggest that the results of the 2023 election have disturbed the judiciary and have caused a flurry of action by these boundary riders. A rush to push through lese majeste cases are one aspect of this, but also important are the judiciary’s political posturing as it prepares to deal a death blow to the popular election result.

From Ji Ungpakorn’s blog

A few days ago, the Constitutional Court was said to have “prodded” the “attorney-general for an update on a petition lodged against the Move Forward Party (MFP) and its leader Pita Limjaroenrat over their policy to amend the lese majeste law.” This is a petition filed by royalist lawyer Theerayut Suwankesorn back in late May, which “seeks to compel the court to order the MFP and Mr Pita … to block the move as it may contravene the charter.” That is, Theerayut argues that amending Article 112 contravenes the constitution.

Of course, that is abject nonsense, but the Constitutional Court has come up with plenty of ridiculous rulings in the recent past. By asking about the petition, the judges are indicating their desire to get in on this act to roll back the popular vote.

Wissanu

That the legal tutor for royalists and regime Wissanu Krea-ngam sought to play down the Constitutional Court’s request as ” standard procedure” suggests that it is anything but standard. It is a warning to any on their side of politics that they must not waver on defeating the threat posed by Move Forward and Pita.

A second warning from the judiciary came when the Criminal Court “dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by the Move Forward Party against Thai Pakdee Party leader Warong Dechgitvigrom,” one of the loudest of ultra-royalists. Move Forward claimed that Warong made false allegations against the Party when he accused “certain groups of ill-intentioned people of causing problems for the country” by insulting the monarchy, accusing the “Progressive Movement and the MFP of being behind moves by some protest groups allegedly aimed at overthrowing the …[monarchy].”

The court “the defendant had made honest criticism allowed under the constitution.” In other words, for royalists, the court has effectively endorsed claims that the Move Forward Party is seeking to bring down the monarchy. This decision reinforces a perspective that the Party is dangerous, seditious, and must be defeated.

Interestingly, at the elections, Warong’s Thai Phakdee Party received only a handful of votes, and was rejected by voters across the country.

And it’s not just the legal pawn that is being moved. So are the senators, all appointed by the military junta’s government. In effect, they are being told by the courts not to waver in doing their “duty” to defeat Move Forward and Pita. Some of these unelected senator-pawns are increasingly active in seeking to have the Election Commission and the Constitutional Court work faster to be rid of the “devils.”

Kittisak Rattanawaraha, a deputy chairman of the Senate Political Development and Public Participation Committee, predicted Pita’s defeat while also saying “the Senate has a clear stance that it will not interfere with ongoing efforts to form a new government.” Speaking out of both sides of the mouth is common among the outspoken in the Senate. Kittisak is quite a thug. In addition to beating up monks and others, the day after the election, he spoke of a coup.

After saying how the Senate’s unelected were not interfering, Kittisak and his boss at the Senate committee, Seri Suwanpanon, met with Election Commission chairman Ittiporn Boonpracong “to hand over the evidences related to the allegations that Mr. Pita holds shares in iTV while applying for office, which is in violation of the Constitution.” Seri demanded that the “Election Commission to use its authority and discretion to complete the ruling as fast as possible in order to solve the political arguments. He wanted the issue to be quickly concluded.” Kittisak also made it clear that pushing Move Forward aside may be destabilizing and lead to protest, but that his lot expected this. Indeed, they are preparing for it.

Even the conservative Bangkok Post has noticed the Senate’s pungent politics. It mentions another senator, and old soldier, Gen Akanit Muensawad who has spoken against the vote, “attest[ing] to the view that winning by majority does not mean a thing.” Other senators “insist that winning the biggest number of votes, such as 14 million in the case of the MFP, does not necessarily give the party a mandate to run the country.” That includes Seri.

The Post concludes: “Such a self-assuming view goes against the spirit of democracy, which champions government of the people, by the people and for the people. It is not only wrong, but it could also result in a political stalemate, if not a confrontation.”

And, as Pita has noticed, the senators [and plenty of others] are using the monarchy for political purposes. The pawns may well leave the king exposed. The confrontation the Post mentions, may be between the monarchy and the people.