Establishment government

Clipped from Khaosod

Last Thursday, Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul delivered his Bhum Jai Thai-led coalition government’s policy statement to parliament.

The Bangkok Post highlighted his claim: “I will do everything possible to ensure Thailand is strong from within, that Thais can stand on their own feet, that the economy is competitive, and that the world has confidence in Thailand…”.

These goals are set because, under a series of military-dominated, conservative and pro-establishment governments, Thailand has more or less gone into reverse gear. Major political faultlines exist in Thailand despite those government’s efforts to destroy all forms of reformism. The economy is weak and Anutin already faces an economic crisis that almost no-one thinks his coalition will be able to deal with. And, with the military and its supporters in control of foreign policy and border regions, “confidence” in Thailand has declined.

Thai PBS reported that Anutin “outlined a vision centered on protecting the monarchy, upholding democratic governance with the King as Head of State, and adhering to the rule of law and good governance for the benefit of the people.”

Anutin will certainly defend the monarchy. Part of his electoral pitch was demonstrating his capacity for royalist obsequiousness and photo-ops for his prostration and at the feet of all manner of royals.

He will also “uphold democratic governance with the King as Head of State,” because this is “democracy” that has, over decades, been defined by the military-monarchy alliance as a parliament that defers to the king and only countenances a parliament that is supine to the establishment’s interests. Any parliamentary government that doesn’t do this or does it poorly (in the establishment’s view) is ousted by military or judicial coup.

“Rule of law” and “good governance” are quite another thing. Over the period of military-backed regimes, including Anutin’s short-lived gangster government, has seen a judiciary – supported by politicized “independent” agencies – undermine any notion that Thailand has “rule of law.” Human Rights Watch is worth reading.

Most recently, the politicization of law has been underlined by the establishment’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) filing yet another case against reformist political parties with its judicial twin, the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Political Office Holders accusing serving People’s Party MPs and former MPs of the now-defunct Move Forward Party of “gross ethical violations for advocating amendments to the lese majeste law in a parliamentary motion (and, now, the NACC says, in “related actions,” yet to be revealed).

The use of Article 112 and related criminal laws to restrict political activism has been well-documented by PPT. As 112 Watch has documented, the recent tsunami of 112 cases is an effort to decapitate and depopulate reformist political movements.

“Good governance” seems a thing of the past for Thailand. Freedom House’s 2026 Freedom in the World Index Report and Transparency International report most recent rankings show decline for Thailand. The return to coalition government means an electoral reliance on local crime figures – the “godfathers” or dark influences – in district and provincial areas. The biggest bosses get representation in cabinet so that they get returns on their support for the new gangster government. In addition, as the series by Whale Hunting shows, the establishment and its political parties are riven by links to international crime. Anutin has blamed Cambodia for that – not so much Myanmar –but has not been so keen to follow the local connections, facilitation and the money trail in Thailand and across the borders.

Establishment government is not likely to correct much of this because these failings are what built it and maintain it. Loyalty is their measure of a “good” government.