Should The P.a.d. Give It Up?

[pumpuiman]

A recent agreement by the government and opposition to form a committee to look into reforming the 2007 constitution...which will include input from "outsiders" including leaders of the P.A.D. has been proposed.

Do you feel that the protests should be put on hold now...or should the P.A.D continue on their quest for impeachment?

[jumnien]

Was this vote designed by the military backing the PAD or what? One choice, a fine election! PAD to back to the barracks!

[Ulysses G.]

There is no place to vote for just leaving Thaksin and Company alone which I am for.

Hey, they won the election (again) and past Prime Ministers got away with murder (literally). Why should Thaksin be hounded forever?

All they are doing is helping Thailand on its way to a Civil War!

[pumpuiman]

Was this vote designed by the military backing the PAD or what? One choice, a fine election! PAD to back to the barracks!

sorry, problem fixed..two choices now.

[mmushr00m]

Give it up.

Are they going to keep protesting again and again until the people they want wins the election???

If thats what they want then forget the word Democracy and use Revolution.

[Scott]

Sadly, there are people who simply won't accept that they are out numbered at the ballot box. I don't think endless protesting and demands is the best way to accomplish their goal--unless they like being under a military junta.

[britmaveric]

Just because Dems can't win an election - stop whinging when the results don't go your way. Pretty simple, this will continue until the govt says enuf is enuf.

[soundman]

I have been watching the live broadcasts of the recent rallies & it appears the PAD have many well founded accusations, against many of those who are currently in power & those who are supporting them from behind the scenes, as to why they should not be allowed any where near public office, or more likely should spend lenghty periods of time behind bars.

Do all those on this forum that support PPP really endorse a bunch of criminals running the country?

I say let the PAD keep protesting until the country is rid of all these low-lifes, otherwise who else is going to put their dirty deeds in the spotlight? The Thai Press?

Soundman.

[Prakanong]

I have been watching the live broadcasts of the recent rallies & it appears the PAD have many well founded accusations, against many of those who are currently in power & those who are supporting them from behind the scenes, as to why they should not be allowed any where near public office, or more likely should spend lenghty periods of time behind bars.

Do all those on this forum that support PPP really endorse a bunch of criminals running the country?

I say let the PAD keep protesting until the country is rid of all these low-lifes, otherwise who else is going to put their dirty deeds in the spotlight? The Thai Press?

Soundman.

Whare the should the PAd end - there are plenty bigger low lives than the PPP about in Thailand - if it all then it might just go where no-one wants it to.

If PAD want the govt out then form a party, prepare for the next election and go outand win it. They do have a problem though - the rural votes now realise their power.

Thailand hs had corrupt politicians, generals, civil servants, police for a long time now - why not go after the others that murdered people on the streets as well?

PAD are as politically motivated and corrupt as those they wish to oust because they do not like the ballot box results - it might be different if these guy's were paragons of virtue themselves.

[soundman]

Whare the should the PAd end

Good question.

I obviously support some of their current grievances, however....

The main problem that I can see is that the PAD sets a precendent for other groups using mass "sponsored" protest to achieve other not so admirable goals.

[klikster]

P.A.D. won't give it up since they are not simply a protest group. Basically, they are a political party. They solicit donations and buy politicians and political offices.

They are trying to take power for themselves.

[Prakanong]

Whare the should the PAd end

Good question.

I obviously support some of their current grievances, however....

The main problem that I can see is that the PAD sets a precendent for other groups using mass "sponsored" protest to achieve other not so admirable goals.

Exactly the problem as it would give free reign to other groups - maybe they are not based in Bangkok though.

Of course there is a place for pressure groups in a Democracy - single or multi issue - wanting a govt out each time until you get the one you want (will they ever achive that) not long after elections is a tad too far though.

Thailand has a few watershed's to get through in the next few years - it needs a bit of stability for now in preparation but all this is about the jockeying for position for those watersheds - I just hope it dos not all turn bloody.

[soundman]

Thailand has a few watershed's to get through in the next few years - it needs a bit of stability for now in preparation but all this is about the jockeying for position for those watersheds - I just hope it dos not all turn bloody.

I hope so too.

However, isn't this the exact reason why we need the likes of the PAD? The current government is trying to change the rule book with only one goal in mind - self preservation (mosy likely a one party system ) and self benefit.

Without someone or some group to blow the whistle, these changes could be made with a minimum of fuss. The general public wouldn't pick up on it until it was way too late.

[Prakanong]

Thailand has a few watershed's to get through in the next few years - it needs a bit of stability for now in preparation but all this is about the jockeying for position for those watersheds - I just hope it dos not all turn bloody.

I hope so too.

However, isn't this the exact reason why we need the likes of the PAD? The current government is trying to change the rule book with only one goal in mind - self preservation (mosy likely a one party system ) and self benefit.

Without someone or some group to blow the whistle, these changes could be made with a minimum of fuss. The general public wouldn't pick up on it until it was way too late.

I must be honest and say I do not know exactly what they want to change in the consititution as i have not been following but do they want to go back to the 2007 one or make even more changes?

Did the Junta's puppet Govt not make changes to the consititution too recently to give themselves extra powers?

The 2007 constitution when it came out was seen as about the best Thailand had ever had - it was then usurped by Thaksin et al - this will happen by any govt in Thailand seems to be the pesimistic view

[Scott]

I am not a supporter of the PPP, but I think that like most political parties here, they have more than their share of crooked people. The PPP, if it is truly interested in being a positive force, must go after those people and the crimes they commit rather than the entire gov't. Sadly, I just don't see the PAD as being much better than the PPP, especially in their approach to the problems.

[HarryHacker]

Vote buying does not equate to democracy, PAD should keep up the good fight.

[Prakanong]

Vote buying does not equate to democracy, PAD should keep up the good fight.

Money politics and vote buying are an integral part of Thai politics and have always been - lets just cancel elections in Thailand then?

[klikster]

Vote buying does not equate to democracy, PAD should keep up the good fight.

Wait .. if vote buying is not democracy and PAD is buying votes .. shouldn't they give up? Their fight may be GOOD for PAD.

[PhilHarries]

Vote buying does not equate to democracy, PAD should keep up the good fight.

Money politics and vote buying are an integral part of Thai politics and have always been - lets just cancel elections in Thailand then?

Could try market based communism. Let's face it elections are a complete waste of time and money, whoever you vote for the government always win and it's the same old load of <deleted> just different faces.

Have a single party state and let the people get on with their lives.

But to answer the question should the PAD shut up and put up. Well if we are going to perservere with democracy, whatever that is, any person or group is entitled to protest peacefully against what they perceive as injustices. In such a political system it also behoves the government to ensure their critics can carry out those protests, provided peaceful, without fear of violence from the government's supporters. Sadly in Thailand that doesn't happen and the threat of violence hangs in the air like a heavy blanket stifling the people's freedoms.

[Heng]

Nah, they should go on sitting out in front of wherever they are sitting (on Ratchadamnoen?). I don't have to drive in that area.

[Prakanong]

"Could try market based communism. Let's face it elections are a complete waste of time and money, whoever you vote for the government always win and it's the same old load of <deleted> just different faces.

Have a single party state and let the people get on with their lives."

Interesting - more people are looking ath the likes of China and singapore and seeing successful economies and people getting wealthier.

In Singapore the social contract is thus they would still aprove of PAP policies in the main (they are aconservitie bunch) in exchange for the economic prosperity.

Would Thai's entre the same social contract?

Maybe its better in some countries - so call "Asian Values" - LOL

For me i would not like to see it in my country the UK even though I have not voted for over 10 years there.

[jumnien]

Talk about vote buying, the PAD admitted today that over 1 million baht a day was coming in from undisclosed sources to pay for their permanent stage in Bangkok and crowd-buying and lining their pockets!

[Heng]

Nothing new there, and it'll most certainly take some major effort to separate these folks from their free lunches.

Not unlike folks on food stamps and welfare in the west. They'll fight for their "rights" to sit on their derriers all day "protesting."

[Gary A]

Bangkok's HiSo simply cannot accept the fact that poor country people have a right to vote too. The coup to remove Thaksin was wrong to start with. He was elected and should have finished his term. Is the country better off now that he is gone?

[Heng]

There are Bangkok "hiso's" in every single party. The folks who can't accept that the rest of the country has a vote are merely part of a minor segment of Bangkok 'hiso's' whose foundations are obviously not even strong enough to hold on to power.

[samran]

Bangkok's HiSo simply cannot accept the fact that poor country people have a right to vote too. The coup to remove Thaksin was wrong to start with. He was elected and should have finished his term. Is the country better off now that he is gone?

wow, that is some re-writing of history.

At the time of the coup, Thaksin was a caretaker PM, given that the elections in early 2006 had been annulled. TRT had been accused (and later convicted) of fielding and funding proxy cantidates, and Thaksin was delaying the next round of elections as long as he could.

As for the Hi-so's support. It is evenly split. The old money more sympathic to the dems, new money is TRT/PPP. They all go to the same parties though, and are all chums had have houses in Kensington together, while they attended LSE. They all go skiing together in the winter, and to the French Riviera in the summer. When in BKK, RSBC and Polo Club are the places to 'hang'.