Yingluck Stresses She's Real Prime Minister

[melvinmelvin]

Thaivisa.com is a funny place. Strict rules here on naming entities in a negative context, rules re referring to

some newspapers.

However, posters can post almost limitless shit about the LoS prime minister.

(And also endless shit about other politicians.)

Personally I have no solid knowledge re whether the PM is not a puppet or whether she is frequently

consulting her brother with a view to follow his advice.

But I assume that the TV posters can substantiate their claims that the PM is a brainless puppet

that remedies her lack of brain with family contact.

Could be interesting if some substance could be posted now and then.

[rubl]

Thaivisa.com is a funny place. Strict rules here on naming entities in a negative context, rules re referring to

some newspapers.

However, posters can post almost limitless shit about the LoS prime minister.

(And also endless shit about other politicians.)

Personally I have no solid knowledge re whether the PM is not a puppet or whether she is frequently

consulting her brother with a view to follow his advice.

But I assume that the TV posters can substantiate their claims that the PM is a brainless puppet

that remedies her lack of brain with family contact.

Could be interesting if some substance could be posted now and then.

Melvin, please keep in mind that in most countries PM's, MPs and other politicians are fair game. Maybe a female PM a bit more than the males ones, but that's just part of being 'visible'.

Now as for PM Yingluck, she's not a brainless puppet, but various newsitems including from foreign newspapers and agencies, indicate the puppet image. For example the recent NYT article on how k. Thaksin rules Thailand with skype and instant messenger. That has nothing to do with opinions of posters on TV, wouldn't you agree? Also it tends to lent some 'substance', posted here

[473geo]

I'm pleased Yingluck keeps you guys so busy spewing out the attempted smartarse and repetitive needless comments......otherwise some other poor souls might have to put up with your company....god forbid. ..carry on Yingluck you are doing a great service to many who are not even aware of your kind assistance

[KuhnPaen]

Skype would be a poor method for them to use because it's not secure at all, and all of your messages, videos and calls can be read and overheard. You would think they would use a little bit of tradecraft if he was still trying to run the country on the sly. I realize it's not the cold war but still...just sayin.

[notmyself]

Now as for PM Yingluck, she's not a brainless puppet, but various newsitems including from foreign newspapers and agencies, indicate the puppet image.

Puppet? Perhaps not. Brainless? No question. Someone is going to have to take the blame for the rice fiasco when it blows and it WILL blow.

[JLCrab]

Any time one's first position in government is Prime Minister, one can question why that person should be in such position. When she was first elected as PM, I remember her saying (also as reported in the NY Times) that 'I am my own person'. I also remember thinking: If you were your own person, you would not be Prime Minister.

Edited January 31, 2013 by JLCrab

[Psych01]

And pigs fly...http://youtu.be/N_WWbWBRV-c

All I can see is a pig falling (not flying), swimming, sinking for a while and then getting out of trouble.

[JohnPrewett]

So she probably does get advice from the man who was officially elected prime minister and then overthrown by an unelected general.

[siampolee]

So she probably does get advice from the man who was officially elected prime minister and then overthrown by an unelected general.

If you check the facts Thaksin was a caretaker Prime Minister at the time intent on holding onto and indeed increasing his dictatorial.

If you were here at the time you'll of course realize and remember the general feeling of relief that Thaksin was out.

Do yourself a favour and find the clips via Youtube of Thaksins screaming orders down the phone from America, , boy was he (Thaksin) rabid, just like another wannabee from last century who had the the same mindset that Thaksin copied who was reputed to chew carpets in his anger phases...

[ajarnpot]

Thanks for confirming what we already know, if you have to say it..................

[Mosha]

With apologies to a certain movie.

"My name is Yingluck Shinawatra, and I am the Prime Minister."

[Ricardo]

So she probably does get advice from the man who was officially elected prime minister and then overthrown by an unelected general.

Not quite, she gets advice & instructions & major-policy-decisions via Skype (according to Thaksin's interview), from her brother who had resigned as PM then returned as caretaker-PM un-endorsed, and was still hanging-on after that maximum-term had expired, acting as though he were PM or worse ('don't ask my ministers questions, I make all the decisions), when a few senior military men stuck their necks out and pressed the reset-button in a widely-welcomed totally-peaceful way.

General Sorayud was only the one who headed the junta-appointed government, which ran elections later, not himself part of the junta.

[stoli]

The sacriest thing for Thaksin now would be if Yingluck really does start to believe that she is running the country, and shuns his advice.

[webfact]

Thaksin not running govt: PM

The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra yesterday denied that her brother, ex-prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, remotely controlled her government by making Skype video calls to chair Cabinet meetings.

Dismissing a report published in the New York Times, Yingluck said she and her Cabinet had been running the country themselves, a fact she said had been demonstrated in her increasing leadership and the achievements of her government.

In a report published on Tuesday, Times correspondent Thomas Fuller quoted Pheu Thai officials as saying that Thaksin helped run the country without having to return to face the warrant issued for his arrest. Fuller described the practice as "rule by Skype or governance by instant messenger".

Yingluck said she has repeatedly answered this kind of question. She said she and her Cabinet have been making decisions on governance on their own.

The prime minister said the media should be fair to her and take into account results of opinion surveys that showed that the public accepted her leadership.

"The media can see that Cabinet members cannot use even mobile phones during Cabinet meetings," Yingluck said when asked to confirm whether Thaksin was Skyping Cabinet sessions.

"Please consider this fact well. [The report] was unfounded."

She said she was not discouraged to be viewed with suspicion, insisting that many people still viewed her with understanding and were fair to her.

-- The Nation 2013-02-01

[prvtdetdave]

She described as groundless the report which said Mr Thaksin participated in some cabinet meetings and ordered ministers through Skype, saying the cabinet conferences are off limits to telephones.

But not off limit to computers where most people use Skype.. She also didn't say it was off limits to Skype. But no one expects her to admit the truth. Business as usual.

Pure speculation?

[prvtdetdave]

Ok, there is no democratically elected government where everything is just peachy. The key phrase that I used would be free election. The last election was monitored extensively by the international community and no widespread fraud was observed. I don't think that comparing Thailand to Iraq under Hussein is a valid analogy, and I doubt if you really do either.

You go on as if you assume that I dispute the results of the election, I don't, I dispute the notion that simply gaining a majority on an election is the basis for a democratic system of government.

If the end all of the idea is the one with the most votes wins, and that is that then I must have wasted a lot of time in civic studies learning the intricacies of the different forms of democratic government, the prerequisites for them and the mechanisms that ensure that the government works for all the people in a country and is accountable to them.

You seem to be arguing that since they won the election we should just shut up at seeing how the government is run by remote control by a fugitive living in another country (there goes the accountability), one sentenced for conflict of interests while PM, AKA using the public office to enrich his private accounts (which points at why there needs to be accountability).

One of the prerequisites for a functional, healthy democracy is an informed population; if we would just shut up about what we perceive to be wrong and simply accept what the incumbents feed us then that can hardly lead to an informed population.

Now you may be perfectly happy to go along with Yingluck's lies, but some of us have different standards. (it may come with being a bigot I suppose)

Given the number of Cabinet Ministers and others present at Cabinet meetings. I find it hard to believe

not one of them would point to the fact that Mr. Thaksin would be giving direction. I would like to see proof

of this. Otherwise I am only reading the malcontent of Yellow Shirts and thier sympathizers.

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

And the puppet said, "I'm not the dummy".

[Ricardo]

I wonder has anyone yet seen any statement from Thaksin, or one of his spokesmen, denying the comments attributed to him by the New York Times article ?

Something along the lines of "I don't make major policy-decisions, on my sister's behalf, and all the MPs & ministers who come to visit me are merely well-wishers who enjoy our interesting Middle-Eastern cuisine" ?

Edited February 1, 2013 by Ricardo

[scorecard]

Ok, there is no democratically elected government where everything is just peachy. The key phrase that I used would be free election. The last election was monitored extensively by the international community and no widespread fraud was observed. I don't think that comparing Thailand to Iraq under Hussein is a valid analogy, and I doubt if you really do either.

You go on as if you assume that I dispute the results of the election, I don't, I dispute the notion that simply gaining a majority on an election is the basis for a democratic system of government.

If the end all of the idea is the one with the most votes wins, and that is that then I must have wasted a lot of time in civic studies learning the intricacies of the different forms of democratic government, the prerequisites for them and the mechanisms that ensure that the government works for all the people in a country and is accountable to them.

You seem to be arguing that since they won the election we should just shut up at seeing how the government is run by remote control by a fugitive living in another country (there goes the accountability), one sentenced for conflict of interests while PM, AKA using the public office to enrich his private accounts (which points at why there needs to be accountability).

One of the prerequisites for a functional, healthy democracy is an informed population; if we would just shut up about what we perceive to be wrong and simply accept what the incumbents feed us then that can hardly lead to an informed population.

Now you may be perfectly happy to go along with Yingluck's lies, but some of us have different standards. (it may come with being a bigot I suppose)

Given the number of Cabinet Ministers and others present at Cabinet meetings. I find it hard to believe

not one of them would point to the fact that Mr. Thaksin would be giving direction. I would like to see proof

of this. Otherwise I am only reading the malcontent of Yellow Shirts and thier sympathizers.

You want proof.

Read some newspapers, Thai and/or English over the last few months and you'll get numerous examples / proof.

Only in the last few days the interior minister has said how it's easy to keep in contact with the paymaster and that he's always available. And he's not the only one who has made similar comments. Plus the paymasters own comments about Skype in the recent article in NY Times.

Edited February 1, 2013 by scorecard

[scorecard]

I take you weren't in Thailand during the election and you don't speak Thai, else you wouldn't post something like that.

Even true supporters say that they will stay at home if the money does not come. Vote buying was always in Thailand but with Thaksin it got much worse.

Exactly - the "international observers" must have had their heads up their bum if they didn't see the rampant vote buying that always happens.

When the authorities made vote buying illegal, Mr T and his cronies simply made a promise to pay people AFTER the election by paying each village that voted for them a million baht... I remember that very clearly.... and it was very clearly vote buying because areas that did not support them got almost nothing or very reduced amounts in comparison... AND they were using the publics money (in the guise of "grants") to buy the votes too...!

And the paymaster said publicly that those villages who did not vote for him would get zero development funds of any sort.

IMHO there's another point. Some may well see the vote buying antics employed by the paymaster and his parties (leeches and cronies - 2 times disbanded for election fraud etc.) as clever.

IMHO these antics are pretty simple and quite easy to dream up.

The differnece is that those folks with morals would not even try to use them. But those with no morals just go right ahead, all the time dreaming of their turn at the trough.

[kingstonkid]

A suggestion that she might make is that all her people keep their mouths shut about big brother adn that they stop travel to anywhere that he is.

Also that he stop addressing the people in the PTP and UDD. If he kept a lower profile and her cabinet members made it less obvious she would have a chance. As it is she will always be remembered as the PUPPET PM.

Too many of her brothers cronies involved. Put your own people in MS PM and getrid of the people that have direct ties to BB

[Tatsujin]

Why does the Govt keep lying?

[MunterHunter]

Why does the Govt keep lying?

Because they are politicians...

[Soupdragon]

Glad that is cleared up. Now she has to hold her hand up and take responsibility for the massive corruption that is occurring on her watch.

Waiting, waiting..........

[hellodolly]

Ok, there is no democratically elected government where everything is just peachy. The key phrase that I used would be free election. The last election was monitored extensively by the international community and no widespread fraud was observed. I don't think that comparing Thailand to Iraq under Hussein is a valid analogy, and I doubt if you really do either.

You go on as if you assume that I dispute the results of the election, I don't, I dispute the notion that simply gaining a majority on an election is the basis for a democratic system of government.

If the end all of the idea is the one with the most votes wins, and that is that then I must have wasted a lot of time in civic studies learning the intricacies of the different forms of democratic government, the prerequisites for them and the mechanisms that ensure that the government works for all the people in a country and is accountable to them.

You seem to be arguing that since they won the election we should just shut up at seeing how the government is run by remote control by a fugitive living in another country (there goes the accountability), one sentenced for conflict of interests while PM, AKA using the public office to enrich his private accounts (which points at why there needs to be accountability).

One of the prerequisites for a functional, healthy democracy is an informed population; if we would just shut up about what we perceive to be wrong and simply accept what the incumbents feed us then that can hardly lead to an informed population.

Now you may be perfectly happy to go along with Yingluck's lies, but some of us have different standards. (it may come with being a bigot I suppose)

Given the number of Cabinet Ministers and others present at Cabinet meetings. I find it hard to believe

not one of them would point to the fact that Mr. Thaksin would be giving direction. I would like to see proof

of this. Otherwise I am only reading the malcontent of Yellow Shirts and thier sympathizers.

I am neither a malcontent or a Yellow Shirts sympathizer.

I am a realist.

I find life more enjoyable that way.

Well some times more endurable. It is not always peaches and cream.

But for myself living in my head is a lonely place so I choose to come out into the real world.

[StefanBBK]

And the puppet said, "I'm not the dummy".

And it is the truth, because my brother said so.....

Anyway, is there a politically-correct term, such as Prime Ministress? I know nowadays often the term Manageress is used.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited February 1, 2013 by StefanBBK

[Breville]

"My definition says you start by respecting the (paid for) vote of the people"......

[OzMick]

Given the number of Cabinet Ministers and others present at Cabinet meetings. I find it hard to believe

not one of them would point to the fact that Mr. Thaksin would be giving direction. I would like to see proof

of this. Otherwise I am only reading the malcontent of Yellow Shirts and thier sympathizers.

Why on earth would one of these people choose to spill the beans on what is already bleeding obvious, and thus deprive himself of the riches his position provides him?

[animatic]

Methinks she doth protest too mutt (sic) ...

Of course could she say ANYTHING else.

Not on your tintype.

She must read the script, no matter how transparent the subterfuge.

[Buchholz]

Thaksin not running govt: PM

Yingluck said she and her Cabinet had been running the country themselves

She said she and her Cabinet have been making decisions on governance on their own.

Meanwhile.....the flights keep right on leaving out of Suvarnabhumi Airport

Reported in today's news feed:

former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, Chart Thai Pattana Party chief adviser Banharn Silapa-archa and Chart Pattana Party de facto leader Suwat Liptapanlop met in London earlier this month.

The three held exploratory talks about the re-allocation of ministerial portfolios within the coalition alliance

.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Buchholz