We Are All To Blame For The Political Rift In Thailand

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

We are all to blame for the political rift

By The Nation

For years we sat by and did nothing as corruption and crony politics took over; and that was okay as long as we got our share of the pie

In the days leading up to the anniversary of the September 19, 2006 coup, the country's security planners decided to take extra measures by putting armed soldiers in various places around Bangkok.

At each of the Skytrain stations was a nervous looking soldier in full uniform, standing all by himself on the platform, holding on to a rifle.

Was his presence supposed to be an additional boost to the unarmed security guards employed by the Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) to do bag searches - which they never really do because there are just too many people going in and out of the stations, especially during rush hours?

With all due respect to these young men - many of whom are in the military because they couldn't afford to bribe their way out of the draft - the presence of an armed soldier in such public places is not a very reassuring sight, especially in the areas frequented by tourists.

Do we know their rules of engagement? Did their colleagues understand the concept of rules of engagement when they commenced firing at red-shirt protestors this past May? The Nation's senior photographer, Chaiwat Pumpuang, who was hit by a bullet in the Rajaprarob-Lang Nam area on May 15 by trigger-happy soldiers who were firing at a group of rock-throwing, slingshot-wielding protestors just metres away, is testimony to the fact that perhaps they don't know ... or just don't care. All Chaiwat got for his trouble was a hug from Army spokesman Colonel Sansern Kaewkumnerd, who visited him at the hospital.

Signals during the lead-up to the anniversary were conflicting, indeed. The Democrats were sounding out warnings that another wave of red-shirt violence was imminent. At the same time, Thaksin Shinawatra and the Pheu Thai Party were talking about peace and reconciliation. Luckily the anniversary passed without serious problems.

The minds of Thai people tend to drift towards the dark side at such times, especially in an environment where rumours are rife of sinister plots. Too often in Thailand's history of street clashes, the so-called "third-hand" is behind such nefarious political schemes. Nevertheless, when someone like Thaksin starts talking about peace and reconciliaiton, perhaps we should be worried. He has brought Thailand to the edge of anarchy during the past couple of Songkran festivals.

Thaksin's strategy and intentions aside, the coup anniversary was also a time to reflect on the recent past. Thais have lived through so many coups, and we don't really cry over spilled milk once things get back on track. But one can't ignore the fact that the coup of September 19, 2006 has had more serious repercussions than any other. The spilled milk didn't just belong to Thaksin; the country's democratic process was shaken, and the people have a big stake in this as well.

Thaksin, as we know, is hell bent on getting a refund for his share of the spilled milk. Many ordinary people, on the other hand, think it's time to move on. Since the coup, three governments have been put in place (two of which were Thaksin's proxies); perhaps it's time to think more about the future, and about what kind of country Thailand should be and could be.

The debate over whether the coup was a necessary evil or an act that paved the way for the May 2010 clashes on the streets of Bangkok will continue for a very long time. Naturally, many people believe the red-shirt choke-hold on Rajprasong was entirely Thaksin's doing, and that the coup four years ago had nothing to do with the red protests. The truth is probably somewhere in between.

Thaksin has spent so much money to discredit and destabilise Thailand, and he is still as miserable as ever. But this is not all about Thaksin. Our current predicament also says something about us as a society and the values we hold.

Back in 2001, when Thaksin was at the height of his popularity, the Thai people didn't seem to care that he was concealing billions of baht to avoid paying taxes. We lost our chance back then to be a country of law and order, a society that took the very notion of ethics seriously, because we were blinded by his shallow sales pitch. Perhaps if we weren't so selfish, we might not have found ourselves in this ongoing conflict.

-- The Nation 2010-09-21

[rkidlad]

"Evil prevails when good men do nothing"

I prefer just 'evil prevails"

[Joop50]

We are all to blame but the cause looks Thaksin again, while he is only an effect.

When they write an article and try to explane: we are all to blame, they should try for one time leave the prominent place for Thaksin out of the commentary.

Thaksin only appeared because of "we are all to blame".

Self-criticism starts not the last 10 years or so.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Joop50

[SomTumTiger]

I would just interject to note that, I am not responsible for any of this lol. Unless spending money on beer makes me culpable in some way.

[rubl]

We are all to blame but the cause is Thaksin.

When you write an article and you try to explane: we are all to blame, try for one time leave Thaksin out of your commentary.

Thaksin only appeared because of "we are all to blame".

Self-criticism starts not the last 10 years or so.

As pigs some are more equal than others. Those tend to stick out

[hammered]

Quite how the ordinary person with no power is as responsible as the power players after having their cake and eating it is as responsible for the mess is open to question.

The players are obviously manouvering around trying to find a large common ground so things can get back to normal with mosty of the old players back in the game. That is what "we are all responsible" means.

[SamritT]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

[Hardback]

Quite how the ordinary person with no power is as responsible as the power players after having their cake and eating it is as responsible for the mess is open to question.

The players are obviously manouvering around trying to find a large common ground so things can get back to normal with mosty of the old players back in the game. That is what "we are all responsible" means.

I'm totally with you there. I hate these "it's all our fault" opinion pieces that seem to pop up all the time. We all know the blame lies with the power players. Doing nothing ie. staying at home and not protesting is in fact the law. By speaking out people put themselves at risk and ordinary people, everywhere are loath to do that.

[Joop50]

I have not much with Thaksin, I only live here shortly. What I notice is, Thaksin is used as the excuse to leave everithing as it always was or worse.

[EODghost]

Quite how the ordinary person with no power is as responsible as the power players after having their cake and eating it is as responsible for the mess is open to question.

The players are obviously manouvering around trying to find a large common ground so things can get back to normal with mosty of the old players back in the game. That is what "we are all responsible" means.

I'm totally with you there. I hate these "it's all our fault" opinion pieces that seem to pop up all the time. We all know the blame lies with the power players. Doing nothing ie. staying at home and not protesting is in fact the law. By speaking out people put themselves at risk and ordinary people, everywhere are loath to do that.

Agreed, simple cowardice. Instead of accepting responsibility for their actions, it is easier to simply say: "well it's everyone's fault" Then no one has to accept blame and the elite get off scott-free.

That notion of compromise instead of justice in Thailand will be this country's downfall.

Edited September 21, 2010 by EODghost

[geovalin]

We are all to blame but the cause looks Thaksin again, while he is only an effect.

100% right.

As long as the analysts will think only though the Thaksin focus, nothing will change.

Obviously -even govt admit it- nowadays corruption is more important than under Thaksin and the country is less free. Thaksin is hateful, as the other ones are also hateful. So why focus only on Thaksin?

[dobadoy]

We are all to blame?

I'm not.

And on a less facetious note, neither are any of the Thai people I know. This is rather like the world blaming all Muslims for Sept 11, or Muslims blaming all Americans for the Iraq war. The only 'say' we all get is in choosing between Evil Party A or Evil Party B or not voting.

To say that we are all to blame lets the real criminals off the hook.

Edited September 21, 2010 by dobadoy

[geovalin]

That notion of compromise instead of justice in Thailand will be this country's downfall.

Right! but I'd add that, indeed, there will be NO compromise at all. This is an illusion . It's just that the losers will have a gun on their head when they'll sign the "compromise".

It's counterproductive. It will stir up the resentment.

[seri thai]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

No, you're not! :jap:

[SamritT]

Only if Thaksin die (some said he is already dead) will all this problem ends. In the mean time ....

[TheBarbarian]

Wrong header. The header could have read WE, AT THE NATION, are ALL to blame. It is absurd to blame voters and political parties that adhered to democratic principles. It is very simple. Only the coup takers and the people who brought them flowers are to blame. Simply because they do not understand democracy. If they lose an election the voters who voted their opponent are uneducated and stupid, while in fact the elite is plane stupid. Add to the mix the corrupt military that increased their budget a three fold since the coup, at this current government who would never have been in power because they lack a mandate. Sweet would be the day that Anupong, Sonthi and their friends are standing up in a court international or local to tell why they raped democracy and shot people in the street. But a military that shoot people in the street have uneducated generals who think that we the voters are so stupid to believe that you buy a scanner worth 3,000 baht for 30,000 pound Sterling in whihc you throw a piece of plastic to detect bombs, drugs and rock and roll will always believe that they are smarter and better than we the people. They will have no trouble rigging election after election and appointing one crooked court official after another. Thailand has indeed no double standards They have no standards.

[dobadoy]

Wrong header. The header could have read WE, AT THE NATION, are ALL to blame. It is absurd to blame voters and political parties that adhered to democratic principles. It is very simple. Only the coup takers and the people who brought them flowers are to blame. Simply because they do not understand democracy. If they lose an election the voters who voted their opponent are uneducated and stupid, while in fact the elite is plane stupid. Add to the mix the corrupt military that increased their budget a three fold since the coup, at this current government who would never have been in power because they lack a mandate. Sweet would be the day that Anupong, Sonthi and their friends are standing up in a court international or local to tell why they raped democracy and shot people in the street. But a military that shoot people in the street have uneducated generals who think that we the voters are so stupid to believe that you buy a scanner worth 3,000 baht for 30,000 pound Sterling in whihc you throw a piece of plastic to detect bombs, drugs and rock and roll will always believe that they are smarter and better than we the people. They will have no trouble rigging election after election and appointing one crooked court official after another. Thailand has indeed no double standards They have no standards.

I'd agree with most everything you say except for this

"Its absurd to blame voters and political parties that adhered to democratic principles" - hmm, there wasn't much adherence to democratic principles in Thaksin's time. A lot of vote rigging, a lot of intimidation and a lot of bribery. Neither side can be trusted, and replacing one with the other solves nothing. The only thing that will have to happen, eventually, when fighting finally becomes unprofitable for all, is that all the corrupt parties will have to agree on how to share the spoils between them.

Don't think for one minute this means the ordinary people won't still be getting shafted.

[rreddin]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

You are of course entitled to your view. However, you ignore decades of corruption by politicians of all political parties, nepotism and the edemic corruption within the country. You also ignore the effects of the 2006 coup, which appears to have had a much greater adverse impact on the ordinary Thai citizen than previous military adventures and which caused considerable resentment. You also ignore the perception held by many ordinary Thais that PAD members have received favourable treatment - one, who is charged withh offences of terrism was even made a member of the government.

All the fault of Thaksin and the red shirts? No it is not. The mass red shirt movement was created by events that came before. Thailand is a divided county. It is divided on regional, social and economic grounds, and yes, to complicate matters there is also a religious and ethnic divide in the far Southern provinces that has been going on ever since those provinces were annexed.

The lid may be back on the pressure cooker, but the heat is still on. Will the country as a whole have the sense to turn the heat off before the safety valve blows?

[Buchholz]

We are all to blame but the cause looks Thaksin again, while he is only an effect.

100% right.

As long as the analysts will think only though the Thaksin focus, nothing will change.

Obviously -even govt admit it- nowadays corruption is more important than under Thaksin and the country is less free. Thaksin is hateful, as the other ones are also hateful. So why focus only on Thaksin?

But then why turn around and excuse him? He's not the sole cause of the current problems, but he plays an undeniable major role.

Not sure what you mean by corruption now is more "important" than under Thaksin, but if you meant prevalent, I'd disagree. Has it disappeared? No, but it's not nearly of the magnitude as it was under his regime.

Thaksin could be the wonderful poster child for holding people accountable. Jail him when he returns and certainly don't give him amnesty or pardon his crimes. At the same time, hold every other person accountable for corruption when it occurs. If they start with Thaksin and he's shown to do a long stretch in prison, others won't be so tempted. It's when the corrupted are seen to being getting off unpunished, then others are encouraged to mimic the behavior.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Buchholz

[Siripon]

The author is saying that justice should have been upheld in 2001 when Thaksin was found not guilty, 8-7 of hiding billions in his gardener, maid and driver's names.

Some judges admitted they used social not legal criteria as the basis for their judgement.

"He had just won by a landslide so how we ban him for 5 years, there will be a mob on our doorstep?' was a remark made at the time.

So the rule of law was subverted for political considerations and Thaksin got away with it.

That was when the people should have said, NO!

This is the thrust of the column.

[Buchholz]

Only the coup takers and the people who brought them flowers are to blame.

So you blame this girl

for this?

I don't. I blame him:

[Seanextra]

At least it wasnt the Farang are to blame, this one rests in Thais hands thank god ! :jap:

[Seanextra]

Double post sorry!

Edited September 21, 2010 by Seanextra

[Robroy]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

Seeing as you are open to a different view (well done on that), here is one:

The Thai elite has sequestered most of the nation's resources to itself.

Poverty exists for the many, in the face of porcine indulgence for the few.

The redshirt campaign is a response to that, not some mindless anarchist campaign.

If the reds could throw Thaksin overboard it would be very helpful. Being both violent and corrupt, he is clearly part of the problem, not the solution.

The violence is not to be excused. But as we have seen in the twentieth century's various communist revolutions, when a system is locked up so only a few can live a decent life, tempers eventually fray.

If you look at causes, and not just immediate effects, a holistic picture quickly emerges.

[tigermonkey]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

Thaksin and the Red Shirts are a symptom of the socio-economic problems of Thailand -- they are not the cause. History did not begin the day that Thaksin entered politics.

Perhaps if you study the socio-economic development of Thailand since the former Taksin -- that being King Taksin. -- you begin to understand the problems and the reason that Thai politics have evolved to this point. In many ways. Thailand still exists as a feudal society, with only the trimmings of democracy to make it look a little better.

You do not cure a disease by treating the symtoms ( eg Thaksin ) -- anyone who has any opportunity to make any small move towards the cure, and does nothing, is entirely responsible for the disease continuing.

[somo]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

Thaksin and the Red Shirts are a symptom of the socio-economic problems of Thailand -- they are not the cause. History did not begin the day that Thaksin entered politics.

Perhaps if you study the socio-economic development of Thailand since the former Taksin -- that being King Taksin. -- you begin to understand the problems and the reason that Thai politics have evolved to this point. In many ways. Thailand still exists as a feudal society, with only the trimmings of democracy to make it look a little better.

You do not cure a disease by treating the symtoms ( eg Thaksin ) -- anyone who has any opportunity to make any small move towards the cure, and does nothing, is entirely responsible for the disease continuing.

The coup was surely illegal and is the cause of the most recent deaths. Discrete support from powerful factions does not make it legal. Nearly everyone subsequently killed plus a few journalists were protesting against the coup and killed by the perpetrators of the coup. Unless justice is seen to be done and the coup leaders sentenced it is unreasonable to ask the people of Thailand to forget about it and move on. Taksin was very likely just as corrupt as many other politicians but should have been dealt with in a legal manner not an illegal one. Two wrongs don't make a right. To try and shift the blame for these deaths onto Taksin it ridiculous. There does seem to be evidence he was responsible for the deaths of many so called drug dealers in his own war on drugs but he did not illegally overthrow a goverment then shoot the protestors.

[Joop50]

I agree Tigermonkey, there is something fundamentaly wrong in Thailands society. I am affraid it will really collaps one day because I do not see anyone has the will or even (good) ideas to change anything here.

"We are all to blame"? Who are we? I wonder if they mean all the citicens instead of the establishment.

Edited September 21, 2010 by Joop50

[hardy1943]

We are all to blame but the cause looks Thaksin again, while he is only an effect.

When they write an article and try to explane: we are all to blame, they should try for one time leave the prominent place for Thaksin out of the commentary.

Thaksin only appeared because of "we are all to blame".

Self-criticism starts not the last 10 years or so.

To blame Thaksin is beating a dead horse. Not only in Thailand but just about everywhere the rich are getting very rich and the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is disappearing.

[whybother]

The coup was surely illegal and is the cause of the most recent deaths. Discrete support from powerful factions does not make it legal. Nearly everyone subsequently killed plus a few journalists were protesting against the coup and killed by the perpetrators of the coup. Unless justice is seen to be done and the coup leaders sentenced it is unreasonable to ask the people of Thailand to forget about it and move on. Taksin was very likely just as corrupt as many other politicians but should have been dealt with in a legal manner not an illegal one. Two wrongs don't make a right. To try and shift the blame for these deaths onto Taksin it ridiculous. There does seem to be evidence he was responsible for the deaths of many so called drug dealers in his own war on drugs but he did not illegally overthrow a goverment then shoot the protestors.

Yes, the coup was illegal. That's about all you got right.

edit: and "Two wrongs don't make a right" is correct too.

Edited September 21, 2010 by whybother

[phantomfiddler]

I do not quite support the view. I think we are not to be blamed. Only Thaksin & the Red-shirt are to to blame. Without them, there will be no bombing & arson attack, and the death of 91 people this year. I am open to different views.

I,m glad to see there are some people on this site that know what is going on around them. Go go Khun SamritT !