Sondhi Elected Leader Of New Politics Party

[jasreeve17]

Yes, Thaksin's gone, they should cut back on that if they get in parliament, unless there are debates related to giving him amnesty or something.

Good.

Now they're into politics (officially) let's hope they clearly lay out their full agenda and give people reasons to vote for them.

Edit to add: you threw in a few too many provisos for my liking... At least 3 in one sentence...

Edited October 8, 2009 by jasreeve17

[Publicus]

I don't know. I think we could wait until the cows come home and even when they do all we'd hear are the dull clanking of neck bells and moos.

Both the PAD and the Reds desperately are trying to give the impression they're developing a platform of proposals constructed within the framework of some sort of grand philosophy of government and the relationship between government and the governed.

Yet, at least at this forum, the Reds continue to reside comfortably in the past, harping redundantly on the coup and tracing every of Thailand's ills from that event and point in time. The PAD want to be a New Politics Party but haven't presented anything new or political unless one condiders that PAD have elected as their leader a guy in trouble with the law which is nothing novel about Thai politics. These two instances, respectively, represent the vacuuousness of each group's efforts to move on without ever actually moving forward or in moving towards the future in new and fundamental ways.

Forumists in their expected thoughtful ways and based on our own experience with highly successful, indeed, advanced democracies, have repeatedly presented formulas and reference points such newly aspiring citizen's groups most definitely would need if they were to transform from street gangs or airport gatherings to respectable political organizations and parties.

If the two core groups showed any indication of having some of the suggested platforms of programs, methods and overarching purpose I'd be encouraged. However, we know we haven't seen any such thing. Reds keep referring us to monotone www sites which have canned or bogus data and glittering cliches, while any who might look to find philosophical and programmatic assertions by the PAD are equally at a loss.

It's also been noted Thais have little or no experience or ability to develop some level of competency at attempting such organized, philosophical, systematic and goal oriented organizations and political parties.

To paraphrase the rock singer Jerry Lee Lewis, there's just a whole lot of flailing going on. I'd like to think that over time it might lead to something the Thai people themselves can do and produce, no doubt by trial and error, but to produce something. Still, as I said, I don't know. It might be too grand an undertaking to such simple people, many of whom continue to long for the old economy of the ownership of land and animals, and for politics which never required any thought or analysis.

[baboon]

 Take a look at the picture from the meeting posted in The Nation. Looks like they have chosen green as their shirt colour.

Just great - another shirt colour off-limits! 

A lighthearted post that actually rings all too bloody true. I have been ticked off for wearing my "Hulkamania" Tshirt. One minute I am just another foreigner off the banana 747, the next a dangerous force in politics in the Moo Baan I have lived in for the past 5 years. Make your minds up, locals, please!

[Publicus]

Take a look at the picture from the meeting posted in The Nation. Looks like they have chosen green as their shirt colour.

Just great - another shirt colour off-limits!

A lighthearted post that actually rings all too bloody true. I have been ticked off for wearing my "Hulkamania" Tshirt. One minute I am just another foreigner off the banana 747, the next a dangerous force in politics in the Moo Baan I have lived in for the past 5 years. Make your minds up, locals, please!

Yeah, the truth.

The past August I visited Thailand to meet old friends and hit old haunts after having been in LOS for ten years (and to meet with great pleasure a long standing poet TVF member who we'd discovered hails a few miles from my home town in my native state).

Emerging from my hotel room wearing a red shit, the super friendly front desk staff (I'd paid cash in advance!) suddenly turned cold and distant. Outside all I got was looks. Fortunately I was going only a few blocks to the bank so after I finished business I returned to the hotel to change to a white shirt. (Now I anyway wonder if white might be a 'hot' color when I next visit Bkk in February.)

I had a gold shirt from my days in LOS but during the shirt change in my room I decided against that too (the Reds don't only look).

Touchy, touchy out and around Bangkok these days. Ridiculously so.

[animatic]

I suspect MOTLEY will be the only safe choice come January.

As Harlequines frolic and gyre in the Udon wabe,

we contemplate the reddened crepuscule, and disparate marvel why

it pirouettes not to umber or chartreuse in reflection

of manifold tellurian's misanthropic kernals and brumal essentia.

So enrobe in chemise motley and ferret out affable percipience,

less punctilious quintessence, and coalesce a singularity plebeian,

of one terrene concordant and cultivate amelioration ensemble.

Hasten, course said chimera, or reverie ephemeral.

Mettle sans metal, our quotidian quandary.

Edited October 8, 2009 by animatic

[slimdog]

Thanks, Slimdog.

Sondhi must have a plan, though. It took them several months to get the paperwork right, they couldn't have overlooked this little hurdle.

There are no rules stating that a Party leader must contest an election..

One of the things that suprised me was that Sonthi allowed himself to be elected as the leader, as section 49 of the political parties act (2007) stipulates that the leader and all executives must declare all assets of themselves, spouse and children under the age of 18. Whilst the declaration is to the registrar of Political parties (Chairman of the ECT) and not the NCCC as a politician would have to, it still has provisions for investigation and the penalties include imprisonment. Sondhi has always tried to keep his financial dealings very much to himself.

[Plus]

There are no rules stating that a Party leader must contest an election..

If he doesn't plan on being parliament himself, then what's the point? Playing a giant squid puppet master with the army of proxies trying to retell his speeches on the House floor?

Never mind, his plan will all come out, eventually.

[animatic]

There are no rules stating that a Party leader must contest an election..

If he doesn't plan on being parliament himself, then what's the point? Playing a giant squid puppet master with the army of proxies trying to retell his speeches on the House floor?

Never mind, his plan will all come out, eventually.

Ah, so PTP through the looking glass.

Mirror image / Recto-verso

or rectum versatile, because every one's gonna get...

[webfact]

UPDATE

New Politics Party to achieve one million members in two years

The newly-formed New Politics Party will strive to have one million members within two years, party secretary general Suriyasai Katasila said on Friday.

"The new party has not targetted the number of House seats to win at the next general election because party building takes time," he said.

Suriyasai said his party is working to expand the mass support rather than focus on the election race.

-- The Nation 2009/10/09

[jayjayjayjay]

UPDATE

New Politics Party to achieve one million members in two years

The newly-formed New Politics Party will strive to have one million members within two years, party secretary general Suriyasai Katasila said on Friday.

"The new party has not targetted the number of House seats to win at the next general election because party building takes time," he said.

Suriyasai said his party is working to expand the mass support rather than focus on the election race.

-- The Nation 2009/10/09

This is a great idea. It worked successfully from 1934 till 1945 and then again 1975 to 1979. Hope they have the formula better this time round.

[TAWP]

There are no rules stating that a Party leader must contest an election..

If he doesn't plan on being parliament himself, then what's the point? Playing a giant squid puppet master with the army of proxies trying to retell his speeches on the House floor?

Never mind, his plan will all come out, eventually.

Ah, so PTP through the looking glass.

Mirror image / Recto-verso

or rectum versatile, because every one's gonna get...

Wouldn't that be fun, a couple of years down the line we have 2 parties, one red and one...yellow (green?), each with their leaders outside parliament, acting through their dedicated proxies...I guess some posters would still claim there was democracy at work and being the aim of the struggle.

[Siripon]

Listening to Sonthi now reminds me of Palang Tham under Jamlong, always stressing the righteousness of themselves and ending up with not enough MPs to do anything effective. Still, they felt good about themselves.

I can't see what they'll do when Sonthi goes to jail as he's the only one with charisma.