July 3 Polls A Defining Moment For Jatuporn

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

July 3 polls a defining moment for Jatuporn

By Avudh Panananda

The Nation

Electoral candidate Jatuporn Promphan might be an outspoken member of the Pheu Thai Party and the red-shirt movement, but his remarks could cost both his party and the movement very dearly.

Despite the legal wrangling, Jatuporn appears to be a shoo-in to win a party-list seat even though he will have to campaign from his remand cell. His political survival has never been an issue, but the question is, how many voters will he repel just to attract new ballots?

For the red shirts, Jatuporn is an iconic figure. Many outside the movement look at him with suspicion and disdain, considering him either a troublemaker who incites riots or a rude figure who regularly takes swipes at the country's revered institution.

On April 10, Jatuporn delivered a controversial speech at a rally held to mark the 2010 bloodshed on Rajdamnoen Avenue. Later, in an unprecedented move, the Army invoked its constitutional duty to safeguard the monarchy and charged Jatuporn for remarks deemed offensive to the revered institution.

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) is the principal law-enforcement agency in charge of the case, and will make formal indictments on lese majeste and sedition charges next week.

In related proceedings ahead of the indictments, the DSI was successful in getting bail cancelled for Jatuporn and red-shirt leader Nisit Sinthuprai on previous charges related terrorism and riots.

Jatuporn is entitled to his defence under due process, but the court battle could take years. The voters will still have a say on his future when they cast their votes on July 3, long before the judicial review is completed.

The red shirts and Pheu Thai supporters will definitely vote for him, but several undecided voters, particularly royalists, are expected to go against him. If a critical number of voters become spiteful, then Pheu Thai might see defeat.

In about 40 days, Jatuporn will experience a defining moment - is he a vote magnet or excessive baggage for his party?

Jatuporn has been a pro-democracy activist since his student days at Ramkhamhaeng University. He gained prominence by rallying the fleeing protesters after the May 1992 crackdown, and formed the Satthatham Party, a student movement to back up his activism.

After graduation, he entered politics under the Palang Dharma Party banner, which was led by Chaiwat Sinsuwong. His student ally Watchara Phetthong chose to join the Democrat Party.

In the waning days of Palang Dharma, Chaiwat became active in the yellow-shirt movement and activist Phumtham Wechayachai recruited Jatuporn for the Thai Rak Thai party.

During Thaksin Shinawatra's reign, Phumtham became deputy transport minister and Jatuporn took over as party spokesman.

After the 2006 coup, Jatuporn became an avid defender of the Thaksin camp, forming the red-shirt movement by riding high on the pro-Thaksin and anti-coup sentiment.

When the red-shirt movement was beginning to take off in 2009, Jatuporn delivered a fiery speech at Royal Plaza attacking the ammat, which literally means "the king's men", for their part in the coup.

This speech set the tone for subsequent speeches delivered by the red-shirt leaders, which made veiled attacks on figures they believed were behind the ousting of Thaksin.

After last year's bloodshed, the red-shirt rhetoric shifted focus from the ammat to the victims of the crackdown.

However, under the guise of attacking the crackdown, Jatuporn triggered an uproar among the royalists by coining the phrase "royally bestowed bullets". Is he just raising the level of slights heaped on the monarchy?

-- The Nation 2011-05-24

[princejohnjay]

This seems like campaigning against Jatuporn....

[whybother]

This seems like campaigning against Jatuporn....

Presenting a history is campaigning?

Is any article reporting on any politician going to be classed as campaigning too?