Thai talk: Reconciliation forum must be more than just an 'event'

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THAI TALK
Reconciliation forum must be more than just an 'event'
Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Unless you belong to the opposition Democrat Party or the core of the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD), it's not a very popular response to turn down an invitation from Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to join the "reconciliation" bandwagon.

Nobody can really say he or she is against efforts to put the longstanding political conflict behind us. Ironically, in the prevailing political atmosphere, you can be in favour of reconciliation but at the same time be dead against the proposed amnesty bill. One way or another, the phrase "amnesty" is no longer considered by some to be part of national reconciliation.

And that's where those who doubt the possibility of "reconciliation" challenge the "real motives" of the government-initiated forum for "all parties concerned".

But still, you don't turn down what appears to be an invitation to propose ways out of this vicious cycle, even if you aren't too sure who is driving the wheels and whether this slow train that stops at every station will ever reach its destination.

For one thing, PM Yingluck has said that even while she will host the effort, she won't offer any comments on how reconciliation will be achieved.

In other words, the government will simply offer a conference room and perhaps some coffee and snacks, plus lunch, and probably dinner if the talks get extended.

The first question is how the forum will be conducted if the premier herself doesn't want to get involved?

Is it as simple as inviting 100-odd well-known personalities into a room and asking them to come up with a roadmap to resolve the country's conflicts, without the host even presenting her own formula?

If things were that easy, the problem wouldn't have dragged on for so long.

The second question: Even if this "wise men's club" managed somehow to arrive at a proposed set of impressive solutions to the country's problems, who would be charged with the responsibility of implementing them?

Does the government consider itself to be a party to the conflict? Or has it labelled itself a neutral party that could put into practice the proposed solutions submitted by the group of wise men who have agreed to take part in this historic exercise?

There is also the question of the exact proposed role of foreign dignitaries - former political leaders from many countries including British ex-prime minister Tony Blair and the previous UN secretary-general, Kofi Annan - in the whole process. Are they going to meet with the local participants or are they meeting separately? Who would make sure the Thai and foreign reconciliation experts talk the same language, so to speak, and are "on the same page"?

Then there is the crucial question of why the government is doing this, when in fact it already has in its possession a detailed report on recommendations for national reconciliation. That was submitted on September 17 last year by the Truth for Reconciliation Commission of Thailand (TRCT), which was headed by Dr Kanit Na Nakhon.

In fact, some of the former foreign leaders that Premier Yingluck plans to invite were on the TRCT's own list to begin with.

My suspicion is that what the panellists, local and foreign, have to offer in terms of analysis and proposed solutions to Thailand's political problems are already incorporated in the TRCT's quite comprehensive, 351-page final report that was released last September.

It might therefore be more pragmatic, time-saving and substantive if the government first dusts off the TRCT report, goes through it with a fine-tooth comb and tells the public why it hasn't already reacted officially to its very thorough recommendations. After all, this "independent commission" was initially set up by the Abhisit government and was subsequently anointed by Premier Yingluck when she first took office.

The commission promised to leave no stone unturned. The Yingluck government has yet to comment on its recommendations. Therefore, the first task for the government should be to determine where the commission's conclusions should get a second look.

If a substantial follow-up review and genuine action are what the government is really pursuing, then that's where the second phase of work should begin.

Unless, that is, the whole proposed new exercise is about staging an "event" rather than achieving a real breakthrough in the prolonged political stalemate.


-- The Nation 2013-08-15

[NongKhaiKid]

So the PM won't offer any comments on how reconciliation can be achieved but hardly surprising as it would require her to think and that's hardly her strongest suit.

This is only an event, why else invite Tony B Liar ?

PTP will not listen to anyone but themselves

[Siripon]

Sutichai Yoon is quite right. The government should read Dr Khanit's report.

But of course that may not propose rewriting the whole constitution to dispose of that nasty clause protecting the coup leaders and the subsequent investigations into Thaksin.