Reform forum under attack

[Lite Beer]

POLITICS
Reform forum under attack
The Sunday Nation

BANGKOK:--Opposition claims govt is just seeking legitimacy, and 'going the wrong way'

The government yesterday defended its plan to invite foreign leaders to contribute to Thailand's political reform effort, amid claims by the opposition that the administration is just seeking legitimacy - and moving in the wrong direction.

The idea to invite foreign leaders to join a political reform forum here is just an attempt to create legitimacy for itself, senior Democrat Party MP Ongart Klampaiboon said.

Ongart was responding to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's statement on Friday that the government had invited foreign leaders and former leaders to join in a forum titled "Uniting for the future: Learning from each other’s experiences" to be held on September 2. "It is just an attempt to create legitimacy by involving foreign leaders in a political farce and link it to the political reform council," he said.

"These leaders have already come to Thailand in the past and used to comment on solutions for Thailand's political conflicts. There is no need to invite them again but just to go back and study [the situation]," he said.

Democrat MP Nipit Intarasombat said the government was going in the wrong direction if it wanted to achieve reconciliation.

"When people see the names of Tony Blair and Kofi Annan, they are excited. But it is going to work that way. These people are not stakeholders. When you talk about reconciliation, you should bring the stakeholders to talk together. This way is the wrong way," he said.

"Why should we get Westerners to tell us what Thais should do? Thais must talk to each other. But then why doesn't the government listen to the UN [united Nations] when [the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights] which is a global agency said in its capacity that this amnesty [bill being deliberated in Parliament] would bring problems?" he said.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister and Pheu Thai Party leader Charupong Ruangsuwan said inviting foreign leaders would help the country in many aspects, especially investment.

"A country's reform should look into what the global community needs too. Inviting country leaders with potential to join in such talks will be useful and reflect broad visions of the premier," he said.

Thaikorn Polsuwan, leader of the anti-government People's Army to Overthrow the Thaksin Regime disagreed with the idea to invite foreign leaders to join a political forum in Thailand.

"The government is drawing foreigners to interfere in Thailand's internal affairs by inviting former British premier Tony Blair and former secretary-general of the United Nations Kofi Annan, who is a Nobel laureate to guide a way to reconciliation. [but] they are not really knowledgeable about Thai conflicts and how severe the conflicts really are," Thaikorn said.

Last week, Yingluck proposed the setting up of a political reform body and invited all parties in Thai society to join and propose ideas for solutions. Deputy PM Phongthep Thepkanjana and PM's Office Minister and Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Varathep Ratanakorn have been asked to invite prominent people to join.

Varathep said yesterday said that, as many people had agreed to take part, a first reform forum could be called after Parliament debates the 2014 Budget Bill. That is set for Wednesday and Thursday. But he said the yellow-shirt People's Alliance for Democracy did not want to attend.

Pheu Thai spokesman Anusorn Eiamsa-ard said the Democrats should not set too many conditions against efforts to bring about reconciliation and political reform. "The Democrats compared PM Yingluck Shinawatra, who just signed her name but did not join the House meeting scrutinising the amnesty bill, to a student skipping class. The Democrats are picking too small issues to attack. Please - Yingluck is a busy premier and defence minister," he said.

Those who agreed to join the reform forum include former PM Banharn Silapa-archa, former Senate Speaker Ukrit Mongkolnavin, former House speaker Uthai Pimchaichon, Senate Speaker Nikom Wairatpanij and 2006 coup leader

-- The Nation 2013-08-11

[tominbkk]

Did anybody catch the big front page story last week in the BP about ex PM Anand scorning this reconciliation effort? He said he would not be made a puppet in this farce, or something like that. The next day however, there was a small article on the front page which said that the reporter got it wrong and had never spoken with Anand, and the BP apologized profusely for the error. <deleted> was that all about, I wonder?

[Halion]

In my humble opinion neither Blair or Annan have anything to contribute. They are merely self serving political gain sayers riding the wave of their previous posts which were far from successful.

[dahinni]

No

Edited August 11, 2013 by dahinni

[Tatsujin]

Problems with Thailand:

#1 - Thaksin

#2 - Yingluck

#3 - This Government

and more importantly attitudes:

#4 - Why should we get Westerners to tell us what Thais should do

#5 - drawing foreigners to interfere in Thailand's internal affairs

It's simple really, study the past, study what others have done, learn from these things, don't repeat the same mistakes others have made 100's of years before you, do things for the people for once, not just yourselves. Oh, and don't forget Thailand is not #1 in the world, only in it's only little universe. It's not rocket science.

[siampolee]

Tony Blair along with his wife Cherie Blair was one of the U,K,s most self serving political figures ever seen. Masquerading as a socialists both he and his wife amassed a large property portfolio and a personal fortune.

Indeed they would both lie in the political bed well with the characters in the P.T.P.The process of gilding the lily is indeed becoming an international farce.

Kofi Annan was the post holder of the worlds best paid sinecure as head of that extremely expensive ineffectual toothless watchdog , " The United Nations." Another bit of gilding to try and place upon the lily known as the reconciliation bill.

Politicians make strange bedfellows.

One might ask just why international support is being canvassed or in fact needed when the Thai government in general scorns outside assistance and suggestions regarding such matters as an interference in and with Thailand's sovereignty and its internal political affairs,?

[khunken]

Seems like Thaksin has done a u-turn.

'The UN is not my father' he said on one of his 'my way' days. Think it was about his disastrous drugs 'war'.

Now it's ok to get the ex UN SG and a warmonger to help the 'reconcile or else' forum.

[hellodolly]

The whole thing is a sham

Makes no difference if they really figure out the solution or not. The attitude will still be you are Tha You do not understand.

[Robby nz]

If they are going to have a reform forum that will do any good it must come before the amnesty bill.

The amnesty bill still being on the table and very likely to be passed would only make any forum which is supposed to come up with suggestions for reconciliation and the way forward, a farce.

Don't agree with the Dems 'it should be for Thais only' other countries have been through this sort of thing before and lessons can and should be learnt from their mistakes, successes and failures.

However whether Blair and Anan are the ones to help is another thing, for it would seem both are now on the paid speaking circuit.

Therefor what you are likely to get is a 'paid for' opinion.