Four-party Coalition Formed With Room For More: Samak

[george]

Four-party coalition formed with room for more: Samak

BANGKOK: -- People Power Party leader Samak Sundaravej on Monday announced the formation of the coalition with 254 House seats and left the doors open for the inclusion of Chart Thai and Puea Pandin parties to boost the support to 315 seats at a later date.

"I hope the coalition alliance will stop the malicious attempts by an individual outside of politics to cause an upset to the voting outcome and derail the chance for the People Power to form the next government," Samak said in a veiled attack against Deputy Prime Minister Sonthi Boonyaratglin.

He moved up the press conference from January 4 in a bid to foil what he termed as a scam to undermine his party's victory.

Flanked by his party secretary general Surapong Suebwonglee, he said he was certain of leading the next government. He made the remarks in the presence of his three coalition partners - Pradit Pattaraprasit of Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana, Anongwant Thepsuthin of Matchaima Thipataya and Uraiwan Thienthong of Pracharaj.

"I won't be sitting here if I am not sure I have successfully formed the coalition," Samak said, in replying to a direct question whether the alliance might falter.

-- The Nation 2007-12-31

[sbk]

Isnt Uraiwan Thienthong, the same woman that was the Culture Minister for Thaksin?

Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong, the wife of veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong who leads the Wang Nam Yen faction in the TRT, said she had decided to resign for several reasons including the decline in political morality.

"I can't understand the current state of political etiquette and morality," Uraiwan told reporters. "A politician must have morals."

From this thread here Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong Resigns

[slapout]

The statements, promises, threats, innuendos,etc made or presented as made by anyone associated with this nest of (Statespeople) should not be given the time of day as the next day they will revert back to their own standard of morality. They do make the old saying, we promote, elect, or appoint people up to their level of incompentence ring so very true.Not sure, but it appears in some cases, we have exceeded even this level. I had a hard time filling in ( ) as I just have not come up with a all inclusive term YET.

[jayjayjayjay]

Isnt Uraiwan Thienthong, the same woman that was the Culture Minister for Thaksin?

Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong, the wife of veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong who leads the Wang Nam Yen faction in the TRT, said she had decided to resign for several reasons including the decline in political morality.

"I can't understand the current state of political etiquette and morality," Uraiwan told reporters. "A politician must have morals."

From this thread here Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong Resigns

The Thai people now have the government they deserve Because of the Junta's coup de tat. It is a shame the military did not stay out of polictics and let the people rid themselves of Thaksin through an election all be it in time, this would have been an incredible leap for democracy in this country, not the shambles we have now..

• a military constitution
  
• a TRT=PPP goverment
  
• a voting system designed for poor governance
  
• a military controlled security bill threatening authority of the people
  

RIP democracy in Thailand!

[thaigene2]

Isnt Uraiwan Thienthong, the same woman that was the Culture Minister for Thaksin?

Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong, the wife of veteran politician Sanoh Thienthong who leads the Wang Nam Yen faction in the TRT, said she had decided to resign for several reasons including the decline in political morality.

"I can't understand the current state of political etiquette and morality," Uraiwan told reporters. "A politician must have morals."

From this thread here Culture Minister Uraiwan Thienthong Resigns

The Thai people now have the government they deserve Because of the Junta's coup de tat. It is a shame the military did not stay out of polictics and let the people rid themselves of Thaksin through an election all be it in time, this would have been an incredible leap for democracy in this country, not the shambles we have now..

• a military constitution
  
• a TRT=PPP goverment
  
• a voting system designed for poor governance
  
• a military controlled security bill threatening authority of the people
  

RIP democracy in Thailand!

(a general response - not just the above poster)

I'd like to correct this notion about the real reasons for the coup (IMHO, and that of many others).

The coup was not about ending divisions within society and ridding Thailand of Thaksin's personal enrichment as popularly reported by the pro-coup types. By now that's pretty clear I would have thought.

It was about the old establishment of "pro-patronage elites" getting rid of Thaksin and TRT because they threatened the institutionalised patronage system itself. The upper and middle classes rebelled against him, and his internationalization of Thai business, because that directly threatened the old order of patronage - and their present status and future access to more wealth creation for their families.

People got rich in Thailand through what Westerners would call institutionalised corruption - my brother-in-law in the civil service, police wherever, makes sure that my cousin gets a contract that I provide the materials for at inflated prices, and then we all skim 20-30% and split it among ourselves - is most blatant. But also, my family connections with other powerful people and my 'Jai-ness" to them will ensure they look after me and my family when it comes to doing business. In otherwords, one country - many powerful and rich factions - semi-fuedal as others have pointed out.

Introduce international accounting standards, big business competition (a direct threat to the upper middle class and wealthy families), Thaksinomics and his own (some say) upstart brand of cronyism and you upset the way things 'are supposed to be'.

To further prove my point, look at the NLA's backlash (almost rabid at times) when trying to introduce draconian restrictions to foreign investment in Thailand. That's how feaked out the Thai establishment had become about outside competition to their family patronage systems.

Read Thai history on the way this has developed over the generations, especially the Sakdena system of (largely Chinese immigrant) patronage and Jaew Pa's (Godfathers). The specialists on this are Pasuk Pongpaichit, Chris Baker, Sungsidh Piriyarangsan and Nualnoi Treerat. Their books are usually available at Asia Books and Bookazine. Also read the (some would say 'rants') by Giles 'Ji' Ungkaporn, a lefty academic who spent some time in exile when right-wing military govts were in charge. But the latter book a 'Coup for the Rich' was banned recently - not sure if it's available again, but worth a read given it was done after the coup.

Edited January 5, 2008 by thaigene2

[ade100]

Here here. And thanks for the references. I've got some reading to do.

[Tony Clifton]

"A coup for the rich" by Giles 'Ji' Ungkaporn was on sale three months after the Sept 19 coup. A rush job to cash in on the situation, the book is obviously missing at least a year of the post-coup period. Maybe he will follow with "A coup for the rich too..." Chaching!

Edited January 5, 2008 by Tony Clifton

[younghusband]

"A coup for the rich" by Giles 'Ji' Ungkaporn was on sale three months after the Sept 19 coup. A rush job to cash in on the situation, the book is obviously missing at least a year of the post-coup period. Maybe he will follow with "A coup for the rich too..." Chaching!

Rather a foolish post but not too surprising given the source.Anyone who knows anything about Giles Ungkaporn might plausibly argue he is misguided, prescient, inspired, irrelevant or any combination of these.What is plain silly is to imply he is motivated by the wish to cash in.

Edited January 5, 2008 by younghusband

[hammered]

Getting back on topic. One can only wonder at the fate of the four party coalition announced only 5 days ago. What was the old saying: a week is a long time in politics? In Thailand it seems a day is a long time. When you wake up and look at the paper here you just dont know what you are going to read next.

[ChiangMaiAmerican]

"However, one of the PPP's key allies, the Ruam Jai Thai Chart Pattana party, appeared to have second thoughts about joining the PPP-led coalition yesterday.

Party leader Gen Chettha Thanajaro said the party was ready to review its decision to join a PPP-led coalition government if the EC rules against PPP candidates en masse.

''If other parties defect to the Democrats, we are ready to review our stand. We are waiting for the EC's rulings,'' Gen Chettha said.

Chart Thai's Somsak Prisanananthakul yesterday refused to discuss the formation of a government with the PPP, citing the number of candidates that had yet to be endorsed by the EC.

He said the party and its ally, Puea Pandin, would not hold any political talks for the time being."

http://bangkokpost.com/News/05Jan2008_news01.php

[thaigene2]

It's obvious (to me at least).

The establishment don't want PPP so they (and I mean all of them from the quango commissions up to the entire athoratitive structure) are stalling this every way they can.

Now why wouldn't Samak have already been called upon to form a Government? Isn't that exactly what would happened in UK, Aus, Canada?

If the EC has a series of complaints and the Supreme Court has a case before it, so what? They can get on with that in their own time - but you don't hold up the country for weeks or months over that. The biggest party says it has a coalition, Samak should have been on his way to HM's palace holding a mandate and asking for Royal recognition isn't that right?

And before anyone uses the US elections of George W as an example to the contrary consider this - in the US Presidential elections the outcome had to be just one guy or the other guy who wins - there's already a Government in place in Congress - the US version of a 'parliament'

[Tony Clifton]

It's obvious (to me at least).

The establishment don't want PPP so they (and I mean all of them from the quango commissions up to the entire athoratitive structure) are stalling this every way they can.

Now why wouldn't Samak have already been called upon to form a Government? Isn't that exactly what would happened in UK, Aus, Canada?

If the EC has a series of complaints and the Supreme Court has a case before it, so what? They can get on with that in their own time - but you don't hold up the country for weeks or months over that. The biggest party says it has a coalition, Samak should have been on his way to HM's palace holding a mandate and asking for Royal recognition isn't that right?

And before anyone uses the US elections of George W as an example to the contrary consider this - in the US Presidential elections the outcome had to be just one guy or the other guy who wins - there's already a Government in place in Congress - the US version of a 'parliament'

Before asking that, you may want to ask yourself why was he even allowed to run? Why didn't Samak wait to clear his name from the fire truck scandal before running for PM, even why the PPP has even bothered choosing him as prime candidate when he's already under a suspended two year jail sentence for defamation and involved in the truck scandal way before he decided to run as a candidate... plus the fact the man is well known for having only one oar in the water unless there's food and cooking pots around.

[HobbsTheFerociousTiger]

Before asking that, you may want to ask yourself why was he even allowed to run? Why didn't Samak wait to clear his name from the fire truck scandal before running for PM, even why the PPP has even bothered choosing him as prime candidate

I guess you conveniently forgot that the complete TRT management / upper echelon was banned from politics in a show-trial orchestrated by the military junta?

That left people like Chavalit, Chalerm and Samak.

Ugly, but PPP didn't have a whole lot of choice. Don't go complaining to PPP or their voters for what's forced upon them.

[Tony Clifton]

Before asking that, you may want to ask yourself why was he even allowed to run? Why didn't Samak wait to clear his name from the fire truck scandal before running for PM, even why the PPP has even bothered choosing him as prime candidate

I guess you conveniently forgot that the complete TRT management / upper echelon was banned from politics in a show-trial orchestrated by the military junta?

That left people like Chavalit, Chalerm and Samak.

Ugly, but PPP didn't have a whole lot of choice. Don't go complaining to PPP or their voters for what's forced upon them.

Re-writing history again huh...

[hammered]

It's obvious (to me at least).

The establishment don't want PPP so they (and I mean all of them from the quango commissions up to the entire athoratitive structure) are stalling this every way they can.

Now why wouldn't Samak have already been called upon to form a Government? Isn't that exactly what would happened in UK, Aus, Canada?

If the EC has a series of complaints and the Supreme Court has a case before it, so what? They can get on with that in their own time - but you don't hold up the country for weeks or months over that. The biggest party says it has a coalition, Samak should have been on his way to HM's palace holding a mandate and asking for Royal recognition isn't that right?

And before anyone uses the US elections of George W as an example to the contrary consider this - in the US Presidential elections the outcome had to be just one guy or the other guy who wins - there's already a Government in place in Congress - the US version of a 'parliament'

Strictly and legally speaking a government can be officially formed when results are certified by the election commision, so until that is over even without controversy nobody would be going off to HM's palace before this stage. The court case can certainly be held after government formation but until EC certification is complete no government can be formed as there are no final results of MPs. That is where we are now and why we have no government.

[hammered]

It's obvious (to me at least).

The establishment don't want PPP so they (and I mean all of them from the quango commissions up to the entire athoratitive structure) are stalling this every way they can.

Now why wouldn't Samak have already been called upon to form a Government? Isn't that exactly what would happened in UK, Aus, Canada?

If the EC has a series of complaints and the Supreme Court has a case before it, so what? They can get on with that in their own time - but you don't hold up the country for weeks or months over that. The biggest party says it has a coalition, Samak should have been on his way to HM's palace holding a mandate and asking for Royal recognition isn't that right?

And before anyone uses the US elections of George W as an example to the contrary consider this - in the US Presidential elections the outcome had to be just one guy or the other guy who wins - there's already a Government in place in Congress - the US version of a 'parliament'

Before asking that, you may want to ask yourself why was he even allowed to run? Why didn't Samak wait to clear his name from the fire truck scandal before running for PM, even why the PPP has even bothered choosing him as prime candidate when he's already under a suspended two year jail sentence for defamation and involved in the truck scandal way before he decided to run as a candidate... plus the fact the man is well known for having only one oar in the water unless there's food and cooking pots around.

Maybe some of the PPP wannabe ministers should take a lead from the resignation of the ECs lead investigator. Without any direct proof against him he resigned becuase he was seen as being anti-PPP (by the PPP). Maybe Samak who actually has a lower court conviction against him should rule himself out from teh PMship until ha can clear his name so as not to embarrass party or country (Kinda like Jason Zuma said he would in S. Africa if a court ruled against him). Maybe the extended members of Mr. Thaksins family should state they will not take ministries connected with any outstanding court cases against Mr. Thaksin as there is an obvious conflicty of interest. I await expectantly these very people to follow the principled decison made by the ECs head investigator.