Samak And Sompong And Minkwan And Pojaman :)

[george]

Samak put on ice for debates

BANGKOK: -- The People Power Party has changed its campaign strategy by letting party-list candidate Mingkwan Sangsuwan debate with other party leaders in place of Samak Sundaravej, a source said yesterday.

The party source, who asked not to be named, said Samak's outburst during a press conference last week and his public refusal to join any debates has the party candidates worried about their popularity.

The idea of Mingkwan taking over came from Khunying Poja-man Shinawatra, wife of former prime minister and leader of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai party Thaksin, the source said.

"Samak's behaviour with the media and his rigid stance about debates have made the party's popularity numbers in the capital drop dramatically. Having Mingkwan take over will help Samak not lose face and regain the party's popularity," the source said.

People Power deputy leader Sompong Amornwiwat confirmed the report, saying the party planned to assign some of the leader's duties to his deputies. Deputy leader Yongyuth Tiyapairat, Sompong and Mingkwan have been given the job of joining election debates.

Mingkwan is scheduled appear in a debate tonight on Channel 5's "Joh Jai". The Democrat Party's economic strategist Korbsak Sabhavasu will also be part of the show.

Meanwhile, Samak brushed aside a challenge from Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to a debate, saying Abhisit was no match for a veteran politician like himself.

The PPP leader said Abhisit was PM's office minister only once, while he was a minister five times, deputy prime minister three times and Bangkok governor for four years.

Abhisit responded by saying the public should not pay attention to such nonsense.

Over the last week, Abhisit has pressed Samak to a debate to show who is the more mature and suitable candidate to become the next prime minister.

-- The Nation 2007-11-15

[Tony Clifton]

It's not easy being a pirate.

[John K]

They can’t tell Samak to do that... he is the boss!!!!!!! unless of corse he is just a proxy of Thaksin...... hmmm I wonder.... sounds like another bit of evidence to disqualify the party to me.

Great picture Tony. I think the next one in the series will be with a waterspout in the PPP boat.

[Martin]

The whole thing is just smoke and mirrors.

(Fortunately, though, it is no big deal. The wise elders who had to take over and put an end to the debacle at the beginning of the year have made sure that the Senate can correct for the political immatuity of the next lot of MPs, no matter which lot(s) win 'control'.)

As long as Thailand frigs around trying to find "Democracy" and not realising that it is only "Representative Democracy" that has a chance of being effective, so long will it go on with an ineffective elected parliament periodically having to be kicked into touch and some establishment 'powers that be' from the traditional hierarchy take over.

A 'party list' candidate as spokesman? That encapsulates the problem.

Only answerability to a constituency of electors keeps a politician's feet on the ground.

And only control by the MPs who go home to their constituencies at the weekend and have to account for their doings to those whom they represent keeps a party's feet on the ground.

And only a parliament controlled by a party whose feet are kept on the ground will ever be effective.

[sriracha john]

Samak put on ice for debates

BANGKOK: -- The People Power Party has changed its campaign strategy by letting party-list candidate Mingkwan Sangsuwan debate with other party leaders in place of Samak Sundaravej, a source said yesterday.

Samak brushed aside a challenge from Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva to a debate, saying Abhisit was no match for a veteran politician like himself. The PPP leader said Abhisit was PM's Office Minister only once, while he was a minister five times, Deputy Prime Minister three times and Bangkok Governor for four years.

Extrapolating Samak's logic: Mingkwan has never held ANY political office, let alone a ministerial position, as best I can find.

He's a businessman, having had been the boss at Toyota Thailand and MCOT..... so therefore Samak is saying Mingkwan should be completely unqualified to debate anyone.... let alone an opposing party's leader, unless the topic is camshafts or Thai soap operas.

However, apparently, Pokemon doesn't share Samak's logic.... and the money gets to decide what happens, not the supposed Party Leader.

[TheEmperorOfTheNorth]

disqualify the party

Are you COMPLETELY out to lunch... Banning the successor of the most popular party Thailand has ever seen?

You have a very interesting idea of democracy.

Sorry for the outburst, but this is truly beyond ludicrous.

[John K]

disqualify the party

Are you COMPLETELY out to lunch... Banning the successor of the most popular party Thailand has ever seen?

You have a very interesting idea of democracy.

Sorry for the outburst, but this is truly beyond ludicrous.

Like what happened in May?

You seem to confusing a crime with democracy.

Please understand this,

If in fact the PPP is found to be proxies of the banned TRT members, then in actuality they are the banned TRT members and are not allowed to participate. The issue here is verifying that they are proxies and then they will be disqualified, so you could call it enforcing the ruling of the court and that falls under the jurisdiction of the EC and perhaps a few others.

Edited November 15, 2007 by John K

[hammered]

So Mingkwan is a nominee of Samak who is a nominee of Thaksin.

[Martin]

"...the most popular party ..."

Spot on, 'Emperor'.

They can argue that Thaksin used that popularity to his own ends once he had it, till they are blue in the face.

The fact will still remain that Thaksin promised to deliver what was most needed by the ordinary people and that won him his first electoral victory.

Then he delivered, and that was something that no other politician had ever done.

No wonder that he won again, and it took totally unconstitutional means,used by the other politicians and the minority middle-class of Bangkok to create an unworking situation into which old-fashioned hierarchists had to step, whether they wished to, or not. (My guess is that some didn't, though some probably did).

I still say that it won't be till the democratically-elected government has to listen to its MPs saying: "Do this, not that, or I will no longer support you in the Division lobby, because the doing of that would cause me to get it in the neck when I go back to the constituency at the weekend, and later when I am trying to get re-elected."

It has been 75 years of playing theoretical politics here.

Time to start playing practical politics---which is like practical football in which it is the prospect that they'll get a thorough bollocking from the manager at half-time that restrains many players from trying dodgy tackles.

Edited November 15, 2007 by Martin

[jayjayjayjay]

So Mingkwan is a nominee of Samak who is a nominee of Thaksin.

Hammered and Tony,,,,,, hope you've found a way to vote. Maybe you can do it by proxy!