Chart Thai Pattana Quietly Makes Inroads

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE

Chart Thai Pattana quietly makes inroads

By Kornchanok, Jintana

The Nation

The election period in any country is anything but "normal". It's a time when people see politicians doing things they normally would not do. It's also a period when politicians learn about the power of the people.

Some voters use this opportunity to get closer to politicians, while some use it to tell politicians what they want. Then there are those who say they are bored with what passes for "politics".

Ahead of the July 3 elections, as the media concentrates on the fierce competition between the two key parties - Pheu Thai and Democrat - the smaller Chart Thai Pattana Party is spending the time promoting national reconciliation.

People are being flooded with the sights and sounds that politicians use to promote their policies, yet few can remember populist schemes, like the "Thailand Grand Sale", that were once used as barter for votes. It appears like candidates will do anything to please voters, and though the voters are pleased, entertained or even amused by these "shows", they realise that that is all they are - shows.

Yet there is one image that is slowly becoming clearer - that of Chart Thai Pattana's chief adviser Sanan Kachornprasart, who is being proposed as the "reconciliation prime minister".

Sanan is being promoted alongside party leader Chumpol Silapa-archa, younger brother of veteran politician and de facto leader Banharn.

This PM candidate is not staging extravagant displays like the contestants at shows like "Thailand's Got Talent" would do, but he is following a deliberately planned image-making strategy.

As other parties spend time quarrelling and slinging mud at each other, Sanan is quietly spreading the idea of "reconciliation" and promoting the party's populist policies. Apparently, populist policies are needed for parties to survive these days.

Instead of ostentatiously showing his support for the poor by going around in farmers' outfits on a motorcycle or a farming vehicle, Sanan and his colleagues are attired in pink and travelling in a pink bicycle-like vehicle operated by seven people as a symbol of unity.

Also, instead of tirelessly travelling from one province to the next, Sanan only took part in an election campaign yesterday. Before that, he attended forums and other meetings in the capital to hear opinions and suggestions about how the country can be reconciled. At an event where Pradit Phataraprasit, who moved from Ruam Chart Pattana to Chart Thai Pattana, made his debut, Sanan announced that the formation of the next coalition would depend very much on his party because neither Pheu Thai nor the Democrats were likely to win majority House seats.

"Sanan is being promoted for the qualities he already has, like being a veteran politician who is respected by everybody and is not caught in any conflicts. He has also been talking about reconciliation for quite a while now," image-maker and party-list candidate Kasemsant Weerakun said.

Despite doubts that Sanan is an opportunist and doing all this for his own interest, people can still see that he had started to work towards reconciling the country since last year.

Kasemsant explained that the emphasis was on June 21 - the day Sanan's campaign messages and the party's policies would be unveiled - because the date matches the party's election number.

Meanwhile, parts of the country are being bathed in shocking pink on hoardings and brochures. The party's weaknesses might have not been removed, but its strengths are certainly being advertised.

Amid doubts on how Chart Thai Pattana would deal with the ties it has established with Bhum Jai Thai when Pheu Thai has said that it would have nothing to do with the latter, this "Party of Eels" would certainly find its "flexible" nature useful.

If nothing else, the first election campaign of this version of the Chart Thai Party can be considered a fresh start for the dissolved 34-year-old party and its members.

-- The Nation 2011-06-09

[Phuket Stan]

"Sanan is being promoted for the qualities he already has, like being a veteran politician who is respected by everybody and is not caught in any conflicts. He has also been talking about reconciliation for quite a while now," image-maker and party-list candidate Kasemsant Weerakun said."

How could he be respected by everyone when he was thrown out of politics for 5 years for corruption...what a load of c..p

Edited June 9, 2011 by Phuket Stan

[rubl]

"Sanan is being promoted for the qualities he already has, like being a veteran politician who is respected by everybody and is not caught in any conflicts. He has also been talking about reconciliation for quite a while now," image-maker and party-list candidate Kasemsant Weerakun said."

How could he be respected by everyone when he was thrown out of politics for 5 years for corruption...what a load of c..p

Not corruption as far as I can trace. He was convicted in August 2000 for declaring a debt in his assets declaration that the Constitution Court ruled did not exist. Some said that this was an attempt to hide the source of money gained through corrupt means. Anyway, this seems to be the first time such a powerful politician had been brought down with legal means. He was under a five-year ban from political office till 2005.

(edit: add: In May 2000 A separate commission that was also formed under Thailand's new constitution to monitor electoral fraud had disqualified 78 of the 200 winners in April's election to the newly formed Senate. One of those disqualified was Mr. Sanan's wife.)

Edited June 9, 2011 by rubl

[Siripon]

I don't think their party policy of the 20 year old child millionaire is practical.

If the government contributes 50%, that means the family must invest over 2000 baht a month from birth to 20 years old for the child to have a million baht by the end of his/her 20th year. A target hard for many families to reach.

And of course every year the government will have another 780,000 new faces it has to subsidise at 2,000 baht a month.

[longway]

The idea of a reconcilation PM makes sense, both Abhisit and Thaksin's clone are completely unacceptable to those of either side of the divide.

[DP25]

I don't think their party policy of the 20 year old child millionaire is practical.

If the government contributes 50%, that means the family must invest over 2000 baht a month from birth to 20 years old for the child to have a million baht by the end of his/her 20th year. A target hard for many families to reach.

And of course every year the government will have another 780,000 new faces it has to subsidise at 2,000 baht a month.

2000 baht per month? Does this plan involve parents putting their 2000 in to tin cans in their backyard?

[hanuman1]

The idea of a reconcilation PM makes sense, both Abhisit and Thaksin's clone are completely unacceptable to those of either side of the divide.

I think that's a good point, and one which is easily forgotten in this sea of polarized and entrenched views re Abhisit/Yingluck.

That said, I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of whoever might become a compromise PM, but it would certainly take the immediate heat out of the potential post-election tensions.

[rubl]

The idea of a reconcilation PM makes sense, both Abhisit and Thaksin's clone are completely unacceptable to those of either side of the divide.

I think that's a good point, and one which is easily forgotten in this sea of polarized and entrenched views re Abhisit/Yingluck.

That said, I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of whoever might become a compromise PM, but it would certainly take the immediate heat out of the potential post-election tensions.

Depending on how such a 'reconciliation PM" would be choosen and by whom, I may or may not agree. Having one of the 'old' politicians or their offspring would not help I think. What would that leave us?

Personally I'd think a program of reconciliation free of personal interest would be best, but probably has no chance at all. Poor Thailand

[DP25]

The idea of a reconcilation PM makes sense, both Abhisit and Thaksin's clone are completely unacceptable to those of either side of the divide.

I think that's a good point, and one which is easily forgotten in this sea of polarized and entrenched views re Abhisit/Yingluck.

That said, I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of whoever might become a compromise PM, but it would certainly take the immediate heat out of the potential post-election tensions.

While a 3rd party for PM may be acceptable to most, anyone whose primary goal isn't amnesty for Thaksin is completely unacceptable to certain groups.

[longway]

The idea of a reconcilation PM makes sense, both Abhisit and Thaksin's clone are completely unacceptable to those of either side of the divide.

I think that's a good point, and one which is easily forgotten in this sea of polarized and entrenched views re Abhisit/Yingluck.

That said, I wouldn't like to be in the shoes of whoever might become a compromise PM, but it would certainly take the immediate heat out of the potential post-election tensions.

While a 3rd party for PM may be acceptable to most, anyone whose primary goal isn't amnesty for Thaksin is completely unacceptable to certain groups.

With a certain amount of satisfaction I can think of one person in particular who wont be too keen on the idea.

In any case the idea of a compromise is to make everyone more or less equally unhappy.

I think that as long as it gets us out of this perennial cycle of violence and sidelines both the competing factions to a certain extent, its worth a shot, it cant make things any worse , most likely neither PT nor Democrat will break the 200 seat barrier, and be forced to accept the compromise, unhappy or not.

Edited June 9, 2011 by longway