Big Challenges Ahead For Yingluck Govt

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EDITORIAL

Big challenges ahead for Yingluck govt

By The Nation

After avoiding provocation with her Cabinet line-up, PM will find soon that her path is not paved with roses

Big challenges will come thick and fast for the fledgling Yingluck Cabinet, which was sworn in yesterday. Its first task will be to tackle the flood disasters, which seem to be happening on a yearly basis now. The flooding in the upper part of Thailand will present quite a distraction, but Thailand's first female prime minister will barely get breathing space afterwards. She will have to hit the ground running, skating on thin ice on some occasions.

The very first mission of coming up with an acceptable Cabinet is over, having drawn guarded public reaction. The line-up does not look "politically provocative" and the red shirts have been largely muted in their response to their virtual non-representation in the Cabinet. The new government's economic leaders seem to be welcomed for professional track records but questions about their past roles in Thaksin-related tax or stock controversies mean they will face intense scrutiny. Yingluck Shinawatra, however, will not have to worry about that for now.

Next month requires the annual military reshuffle list to be completed. This means the new government, or the prime minister to be exact, is getting 30 days or so to solve any potential conflict regarding what she, the new defence minister and the generals want. That is a short period of time under normal circumstances. In the current Thai political context, 30 days can pass in the blink of an eye.

The issue will be who will be the new Supreme Commander and whether the current Army chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha, will keep his powerful position after strongly criticising the Pheu Thai Party during the election campaign. There will also be other middle-ranking military officers standing to be reshuffled.

So, in just a few weeks, the indications will be obvious where the government-military relationship is heading. Like it or not, this particular development will mean a lot to the general course of Thai politics.

All of a sudden, the bilateral ties with Cambodia look good. The Cambodian ambassador was the first foreign envoy to congratulate Yingluck after her inauguration, presenting the new Thai leader with a congratulatory message from her Phnom Penh counterpart Hun Sen. This, however, doesn't mean it will all be rosy from now on, with the issues of sovereignty and Preah Vihear Temple looming over both countries and Thailand's vociferous nationalist movement down but not out.

A couple of months from now and the heat will increase on Yingluck regarding her Bt300 daily minimum wage pledge. The labour movement has made clear it would not accept a selective implementation of the election promise, whereas employers and foreign investors have been increasingly vocal in their warning of a potential economic mishap.

The red shirts, having been rewarded so little have caused few problems to date, but will not be as passive when it comes to finding "justice" for the Ratchaprasong deaths. How the new government can get along with the campaign for justice without sparking new political confrontation will be one of the biggest questions challenging Yingluck's leadership.

Then there's the big brother to deal with. Speculation has been on whether the new foreign minister would return his Thai passport and about when the Yingluck government would begin the controversial "amnesty" process. These are the potential fires that she should not play with, but pressure will definitely come and she will have to face it one way or the other.

Mixed reaction greeted the "social" ministerial line-up, but with the calibre of most of the ministers unproven, the jury is still out. Public scrutiny, however, will immediately focus on how the new government will improve the country's education and provide solutions to existing major social issues.

Yingluck has inherited a country torn by political conflict and where problems in other aspects have been rarely addressed. The toughest thing for the new government is to avoid inflaming the political conflicts so "real work" can begin. As her predecessor Abhisit Vejjajiva has learned, that's proved easier said than done.

-- The Nation 2011-08-11

[h5kaf]

Agree with these points, all well made. But there is one major exclusion - the 'tablets'. Apparently everyone was promised a tablet and many may have voted for this particular promise. Interesting to see how this issue is put on 'the back burner'.

If all the promises are kept, I can't see them losing another election.

[OzMick]

Agree with these points, all well made. But there is one major exclusion - the 'tablets'. Apparently everyone was promised a tablet and many may have voted for this particular promise. Interesting to see how this issue is put on 'the back burner'.

If all the promises are kept, I can't see them losing another election.

If they keep all their promises and the country goes around the S-bend, which I consider quite likely, they may have a problem or two.

After 4 years, how many cheap and nasty tablets will still be working? And how many little Somchais will have turned into budding Einsteins?

Edited August 11, 2011 by OzMick