Yingluck's First Challenge: Prove You Are Not A Puppet

[webfact]

EDITORIAL

Yingluck's first challenge: prove you are not a puppet

By The Nation

Thailand's first female prime minister must reassure the country she is no 'clone' of her brother if any real national reconciliation is to take place

Yingluck Shinawatra now has to bear both the privilege and the burden of being Thailand's first female prime minister. Yingluck will have to silence her critics by showing that a woman can also be a good premier.

Yingluck has everything she needs to become a good leader. She has been praised by some observant academics for displaying a willingness to compromise, which could be an asset for national reconciliation efforts. Another plus is her experience in the corporate world.

But first of all, Yingluck will have to prove that she is serving the public interest, and not her family business as some critics have claimed.

She will receive the torch passed on by her brother, fugitive former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, the champion of populist policies. But Yingluck will not have easy days ahead.

First of all, her government faces the immediate challenge of helping people suffering from price rises, an issue that hurt the Democrat Party.

While the rising prices are an inevitable part of a regional inflation trend, the new government will have to help those people who are most vulnerable to the higher cost of living.

During last week's campaign, Yingluck mentioned several potential measures to cope with price rises, including scrapping the oil fund to lower the cost of fuel. But she will have to consider these crucial policies wisely. Although scrapping the oil fund might be successful in lowering fuel prices in the short run, it would leave government without an important tool to lessen the fluctuation of petrol prices in the future. After all, the oil fund was established as an alternative to using tax money for petrol price intervention.

The minimum wage proposal should also be re-considered. In fact the government alone cannot promise workers a certain wage level, because the decision will have to be agreed upon by a tripartite committee of workers, employers and the government. An unrealistically high minimum wage might make for a sexy election campaign promise, but it could create more job losses in the future as factories shift to outsourcing their labour needs or automation instead of paying more for low-skilled workers.

Economic problems aside, the new government will have to proceed with the process of reconciliation to seek the truth behind the deadly political unrest and provide justice to all parties. The reconciliation process must be aimed at providing justice to all rather than providing amnesty for certain politicians.

The two components of truth and justice are of central importance to reconciliation. While investigation into the facts must continue, the process should also offer justice to all parties involved, with investigations taking into consideration the motives and actions that led to the loss of so many lives.

If these two central components are not addressed properly and fairly, the process of national reconciliation will not be possible.

In the longer term, the Yingluck administration will have to improve the country's competitiveness in preparation for Thailand's entry to the Asean Economic Community, where we will face direct competition from other countries in the region.

Unfortunately, none of the political parties has offered any platform to address Thailand's competitiveness. Instead, they have preferred to focus on populist measures. Such policies should in fact be short-lived, with the government instead turning its focus on how to improve the productivity of the country and its people in the long run. However, the Pheu Thai Party has not yet made any serious plan to improve education or improve the capacity of people in a sustainable manner.

These are some of the prominent issues that the Yingluck government will have to address. Although she managed to lead Pheu Thai to a massive victory, she still has to prove that her government and her political career are not designed to produce an amnesty for Thaksin or to return those of his assets now frozen by the courts.

Of course, Yingluck was handpicked by her brother to become the party's prime ministerial candidate. And he described her as his "clone".

But she has the opportunity to make her own history. It would be a crying shame if our first female prime minister were taking office simply to serve the interests of her family.

-- The Nation 2011-07-05

[virtualtraveller]

Look, I have no problem with her being a clone, if the original individual she was 'cloned' from comes out and says 'OK, I admit I made some mistakes, I'll accept the verdicts against me, I'm in fact a man of humility and honour, I can take punishment like a man, now lets move on...'

[geriatrickid]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

[Skywalker69]

Look, I have no problem with her being a clone, if the original individual she was 'cloned' from comes out and says 'OK, I admit I made some mistakes, I'll accept the verdicts against me, I'm in fact a man of humility and honour, I can take punishment like a man, now lets move on...'

It will never happen.

[IMA_FARANG]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

----------------------------------

With respect. I disagree. It seems to me at least at first reading to be a very balanced and thoughtful article.

There are going to be a lot of hurdles for her, her government,and Thailand to get over.

Personally, I hope they do. After all, I have to live here too, don't I?

[Crushdepth]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

You're missing the point here. She was the choice of *some* Thai voters. It's up to her to prove she's interested in uniting the country instead of dividing it, which was the PTP election platform. If they keep stirring the pot they will inevitably be shown the door, perhaps at gunpoint.

[whybother]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

She's got everything to prove to the Thai people.

[Who, me ?]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Did you say unbiased? Sounds a bit funny in one of your posts..

Anyway, yes, she will have to prove that she is not a puppet and that she is acting on her own. And that is yet to be seen, especially after her brother's comments right after the results were known...

[LevelHead]

The Nation has been strongly anti Thaksin, anti-TRT, anti-PPP in the past. It has supported the Yellow and Multicolour shirts.

What the Nation staff or owners think matters not, they just lost the election - and I say that as they were in effect campaigning for the Democrats by their past actions.

The Nation should shut up and try reporting on real news like corruption in the army, and keep their noses out of politics.

[whybother]

The Nation has been strongly anti Thaksin, anti-TRT, anti-PPP in the past. It has supported the Yellow and Multicolour shirts.

What the Nation staff or owners think matters not, they just lost the election - and I say that as they were in effect campaigning for the Democrats by their past actions.

The Nation should shut up and try reporting on real news like corruption in the army, and keep their noses out of politics.

What? They aren't allowed an opinion?

Imagine what would have happened if a bunch of red shirt radio stations or magazines were shut down just because they were stating their opinion. No one would complain about that, would they?

The difference being, of course, is that this opinion isn't inciting people to violence or telling lies.

[themockrat]

TheNation's First Challenge: Prove that you are not a puppet newspaper.

[LevelHead]

The Nation has been strongly anti Thaksin, anti-TRT, anti-PPP in the past. It has supported the Yellow and Multicolour shirts.

What the Nation staff or owners think matters not, they just lost the election - and I say that as they were in effect campaigning for the Democrats by their past actions.

The Nation should shut up and try reporting on real news like corruption in the army, and keep their noses out of politics.

What? They aren't allowed an opinion?

Imagine what would have happened if a bunch of red shirt radio stations or magazines were shut down just because they were stating their opinion. No one would complain about that, would they?

The difference being, of course, is that this opinion isn't inciting people to violence or telling lies.

It is well known the CNS and Coup Leaders used their "communist" experience to launch a massive propaganda campaign against Thaksin and TRT after the coup, one that has continued. They know exactly how to use propaganda and the media to turn untruths into semi truths and untruths into popular opinion.

There is a difference between opinion - and also portraying lies and untruths in a propaganda war to influence the minds of the people.

To take from the famous saying " A truth is easy to be forgotten, but a lie told well will remain for a very long time"

[whybother]

<snip>

There is a difference between opinion - and also portraying lies and untruths in a propaganda war to influence the minds of the people.

To take from the famous saying " A truth is easy to be forgotten, but a lie told well will remain for a very long time"

Are there lies in this opinion piece?

[OzMick]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

"........... nothing to prove to the Nation" but a hell of a lot to prove to the nation.

As we all get to see the Nation's articles, perhaps you would like to point out those " that fan the fires of hatred." Then have a look at the red rags which, in Thai, reach many times as many Thai citizens, and make the Nation look like milquetoast. Or perhaps we should compare them to UDD speeches from last year.

[animatic]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Her brothers network won her an election,

lets not pretend she walked in, and 6 weeks later was a world class party leader.

She was placed into a position to win this, she did not lead this herself.

But in theory she must now lead the nation. Well the long knives are out

and she is already saying 'reinvestigate her brothers crimes'.

This does not constitute leadership from the top.

So far she appears to be lead by others.

[LomSak27]

Kinda unfair of The Nation, That PR vehicle for the Democratic Party

Did they ever ask PM Abhisit to prove he was not a puppet. Not at all.

[LevelHead]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

"........... nothing to prove to the Nation" but a hell of a lot to prove to the nation.

As we all get to see the Nation's articles, perhaps you would like to point out those " that fan the fires of hatred." Then have a look at the red rags which, in Thai, reach many times as many Thai citizens, and make the Nation look like milquetoast. Or perhaps we should compare them to UDD speeches from last year.

But you are comparing apples with pears.

If you want to compare extreme red rags etc.. then they were set up is response to ASTV and extreme Yellow rags, and must be compared with them, like for like.

[LevelHead]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Her brothers network won her an election,

lets not pretend she walked in, and 6 weeks later was a world class party leader.

She was placed into a position to win this, she did not lead this herself.

But in theory she must now lead the nation. Well the long knives are out

and she is already saying 'reinvestigate her brothers crimes'.

This does not constitute leadership from the top.

So far she appears to be lead by others.

The whole AEC and the happenings of the coup need to be investigate.

Reconciliation means going back to the coup of 2006.

The coup was an act of treason - but the coup leaders all gave themselves AMNESTY - without consulting the people.

The coup leaders appointed the AEC to investigate and find Thaksin guilty. They also replaced many of the judiciary with their personal choices . Was this fair ? or was it a set up ?

So everything from 2006 must be reconsidered as part the reconciliation process.

It is clear the Yellow side want to ignore and forget the treasonous act of a coup, the granting of amnesty to themselves, the scrapping of the peoples constitution BUT that cannot be the case. It is the root of the problem and everything needs to be considered, including events in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Reconciliation cannot be selective.

[princejohnjay]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Well said! I have said it before that The Nation is the biggest problem Thailand is facing today. If i were Yingluck my first priority would be to close down The Nation forever and bare all its workers from working with any other media so they don't transmit their bias, propaganda and hatred viruses to other medias.

[Siripon]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Her brothers network won her an election,

lets not pretend she walked in, and 6 weeks later was a world class party leader.

She was placed into a position to win this, she did not lead this herself.

But in theory she must now lead the nation. Well the long knives are out

and she is already saying 'reinvestigate her brothers crimes'.

This does not constitute leadership from the top.

So far she appears to be lead by others.

The whole AEC and the happenings of the coup need to be investigate.

Reconciliation means going back to the coup of 2006.

The coup was an act of treason - but the coup leaders all gave themselves AMNESTY - without consulting the people.

The coup leaders appointed the AEC to investigate and find Thaksin guilty. They also replaced many of the judiciary with their personal choices . Was this fair ? or was it a set up ?

So everything from 2006 must be reconsidered as part the reconciliation process.

It is clear the Yellow side want to ignore and forget the treasonous act of a coup, the granting of amnesty to themselves, the scrapping of the peoples constitution BUT that cannot be the case. It is the root of the problem and everything needs to be considered, including events in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Reconciliation cannot be selective.

So you have to go back and see why the coup happened and why so many were relieved when it did.

Thaksin's wholesale abuse of the democratic system with his emasculation of all the checks and balances is the reason.

[LevelHead]

Watching international TV it is amazing how everyone now is openly saying that the Abhisit regime were puppets of the military and the military cobbled together the coalition to allow the Democrats into power.

Even an ex Democrat MP on AJ this morning admitting this.

Now, where were The Nation when Abhisit was put into power ? They were posting pictures of handsome boy wonder, including the famous hug with Newin (a banned politician).

Not once did they question if he was a puppet or ask him to prove he was not.

And now its seems many with inside insight are saying he was, now that they are kicked out of power by the people.

The Nation is again showing how not neutral it is.

[Crushdepth]

The Nation has been strongly anti Thaksin, anti-TRT, anti-PPP in the past. It has supported the Yellow and Multicolour shirts.

What the Nation staff or owners think matters not, they just lost the election - and I say that as they were in effect campaigning for the Democrats by their past actions.

The Nation should shut up and try reporting on real news like corruption in the army, and keep their noses out of politics.

Actually they (like most media) tend to buck against regimes that crack down on free speech. This is often perceived as 'bias' by the peanut gallery.

[princejohnjay]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Her brothers network won her an election,

lets not pretend she walked in, and 6 weeks later was a world class party leader.

She was placed into a position to win this, she did not lead this herself.

But in theory she must now lead the nation. Well the long knives are out

and she is already saying 'reinvestigate her brothers crimes'.

This does not constitute leadership from the top.

So far she appears to be lead by others.

The whole AEC and the happenings of the coup need to be investigate.

Reconciliation means going back to the coup of 2006.

The coup was an act of treason - but the coup leaders all gave themselves AMNESTY - without consulting the people.

The coup leaders appointed the AEC to investigate and find Thaksin guilty. They also replaced many of the judiciary with their personal choices . Was this fair ? or was it a set up ?

So everything from 2006 must be reconsidered as part the reconciliation process.

It is clear the Yellow side want to ignore and forget the treasonous act of a coup, the granting of amnesty to themselves, the scrapping of the peoples constitution BUT that cannot be the case. It is the root of the problem and everything needs to be considered, including events in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Reconciliation cannot be selective.

You are 101% correct! Hope there's someone in that cabinet that would think just like this...if investigated very well it would be clear that all the allegations against Thaksin was just a mere set up, lies and hatred from his opposition and people who are jealous of him and his self made wealth! Take it or leave it, the truth is always bitter!! It is time to bring to justice all those people involved in all this including the coup makers.

[Crushdepth]

Watching international TV it is amazing how everyone now is openly saying that the Abhisit regime were puppets of the military and the military cobbled together the coalition to allow the Democrats into power.

Even an ex Democrat MP on AJ this morning admitting this.

Now, where were The Nation when Abhisit was put into power ? They were posting pictures of handsome boy wonder, including the famous hug with Newin (a banned politician).

Not once did they question if he was a puppet or ask him to prove he was not.

And now its seems many with inside insight are saying he was, now that they are kicked out of power by the people.

The Nation is again showing how not neutral it is.

I suppose you think that PTP *aren't* the puppets of Thaksin? Incredible :-)

[Britannia]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

Her brothers network won her an election,

lets not pretend she walked in, and 6 weeks later was a world class party leader.

She was placed into a position to win this, she did not lead this herself.

But in theory she must now lead the nation. Well the long knives are out

and she is already saying 'reinvestigate her brothers crimes'.

This does not constitute leadership from the top.

So far she appears to be lead by others.

Without a doubt, she has been a lot more than just guided by her brother,only a fool would contradict this. However I dont think any of them are fools, Taksin will continue to guide her, Love him or hate him he is a political genius, the results prove that.

Now the point is can or will Taksin do a turn around and put selfish motive aside for the sake of the Thai people and Thailand as a whole.

I can not proclaim him a genius, if I was to think he could go down that same road again, a genius learns by his mistakes

To contemplate that she will run the country without him being her most trusted and experienced advisor would be ridiculous.

I know many will now reply with GO TO PRISON. That will not happen hate the man by all means but dont dismiss his genius

He could turn (via her) Thailand around for the good of the majority

[LevelHead]

The whole AEC and the happenings of the coup need to be investigate.

Reconciliation means going back to the coup of 2006.

The coup was an act of treason - but the coup leaders all gave themselves AMNESTY - without consulting the people.

The coup leaders appointed the AEC to investigate and find Thaksin guilty. They also replaced many of the judiciary with their personal choices . Was this fair ? or was it a set up ?

So everything from 2006 must be reconsidered as part the reconciliation process.

It is clear the Yellow side want to ignore and forget the treasonous act of a coup, the granting of amnesty to themselves, the scrapping of the peoples constitution BUT that cannot be the case. It is the root of the problem and everything needs to be considered, including events in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Reconciliation cannot be selective.

So you have to go back and see why the coup happened and why so many were relieved when it did.

Thaksin's wholesale abuse of the democratic system with his emasculation of all the checks and balances is the reason.

Funnily enough I do not remember any massive protests. Just a few yellow shirts and rabid yellow media outlets.

Funnily enough the "people" voted TRT, TRT, TRT, PPP and PTP. The majority of the people therefore never supported the coup at all.

Corruption was much lower under TRT than under the previous Democrat government.

The reason for the coup.... a good question. And one that needs to be investigated along with the overseas bank accounts of senior coup leaders to see if anyone or any entity paid for the coup to happen.

Everything needs to be investigated as part of the reconciliation process.

[geriatrickid]

The PM designate has nothing to prove to the Nation.She won the election. that is proof enough of the Thai voters' choice.

It is the Nation that needs to prove that it is capable of unbiased opinion pieces that seek to incite problems and that fan the fires of hatred.

----------------------------------

With respect. I disagree. It seems to me at least at first reading to be a very balanced and thoughtful article.

There are going to be a lot of hurdles for her, her government,and Thailand to get over.

Personally, I hope they do. After all, I have to live here too, don't I?

Yes I do understand your concern. Perhaps, the Nation would prefer that there be another puppet of the military in office? I do not disagree that the PM designate must demonstrate that she has the nation of Thailand's best interests at heart. What I disagree with is the continual sniping that comes from Nation Media. I do not believe that the company shows respect for the fact that Mme. Yingluck won the election and that she has a mandate to govern.

No matter what the woman does, the Nation will find fault and continue with the sniping. If she visits a disaster site and is shaken by what she sees, no doubt the Nation will dismiss her as a frail woman etc. No one dismissed Bill Clinton when he showed empathy for victims of catastrophe and the tears rolled down his chubby cheeks. No one ridiculed Maggie Thatcher when a tear came from her saphire eyes as she met victims of terrorism. Ever since she was announced as the PM candidate, the Nation has been out front with its nasty attacks. It's despicable and petty.

The PM designate has empathy for people and the Nation can't quite get over the fact that some political leaders do genuinely care about the people. The woman hasn't even been sworn in and the Nation comes with its demands. Just what has the Nation done to promote peace and reconciliation in the country? Many foreign malcontents still can't grasp the fact that she has a majority victory. The fact that she has reached out to include 5 of the other parties in her government planning suggests that she is trying to bring as many people into the government as possible. Give the woman a chance before everyone starts ganging up on her. The voters were well aware that her brother was the ousted PM, and yet they still voted for her. Take the hint. The Democrats said this was an election on the former PM Thaksin. Well, ok. They got their answer and a majority of the people voted in favour of the party and the policies that the Democrats condemned. Too bad. the PM designate does not answer to the interests of the Nation Media. The nation backed the Democrats and it backed the wrong group and now it has to accept the result.

[talk2sam]

TheNation's First Challenge: Prove that you are not a puppet newspaper.

Yeah! that is a good one...

[MengWan]

Now, that's funny ...

Asking a puppet to prove she is not a puppet is surrealistic !

Following Thai politics is better than reading novels ...

:jap:

[wiscoman]

"The minimum wage level should be re-considered" It should definitely go up and 300 baht should be the minimum. The workers of Thailand get paid far to little. They are more educated and efficient then say Chinese or Cambodian workers, the cost of living especially food is going up in Thailand and around the world, and industry will not be fleeing Thailand, 300 baht minimum wage is still very low and they get in return a decent quality worker.