Reform forum gets off the ground at Government House today

[Lite Beer]

NATIONAL RECONCILIATION
Reform forum gets off the ground at Government House today
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The first forum as part of the government's attempt to form the Political Reform Council kicks off at Government House this morning. The government has changed its mind from holding it as a close-door meeting to allowing media coverage through closed-circuit television.

Suphan Buri Senator Prasit Pothasuthon, who has agreed to join the forum, said he did not have any proposal to submit to the meeting but insisted that Thailand must eliminate its conflicts at any cost.

"We should look at South Africa. They [south African people] were divided since they were born, but how could they reconcile? We Thais were not divided in the past. We can't stop the rifts because of prejudice," he said. He added that he also had economic concerns that Thai grassroots people might have to suffer debts in the future. The country's economy will be better off without political conflicts, he said.

About 50 people have agreed to join the forum. Besides politicians and academics, they included representatives from the Thai Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Thai Industries and the Thai Bankers Association. However, appointed senators who were invited refused to join.

Government Spokesman Teerat Ratanasevi said that PM's Office Minister and Deputy Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Varathep Ratanakorn had said there would be no set format for the forum. The government, including Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, would listen to and aggregate the proposed ideas that would lead to political reform.

"The prime minister wants everybody to freely share ideas. The government is just the initiator and organiser of the forum. But if any issue is related to the government, it might clarify or give information about that. Initially, we haven't prepared anything that says what the government wants. The only objective is that we want to see Thailand have complete democracy and pride. The people born in Thailand should be happy, everything just like in the past when we were a recognised country in the region and also stood proudly on the global stage," Varathep said in the government's weekly programme yesterday.

Varathep said he hoped the opposition Democrat Party and the People's Alliance for Democracy, who had turned down invitations, would change their minds.

Meanwhile, the government does not intend to withdraw the amnesty bill being considered in Parliament, which is the condition set by the Democrats to join in the forum.

Democrat MP Ongart Klampaiboon said the Democrats see the government as lacking sincerity in finding solutions for the country.

"When the prime minister calls for the use of Parliament as a platform for discussions, she doesn't attend parliamentary meetings. It is like she only used Parliament as her tool to gain power and when she had got the power she doesn't care to solve the country's problems," he said, adding live broadcast of today's forum should be provided to let the people hear views, and for transparency.

Ongart said the government's holding of the forum was just a way to distract people from the ongoing Constitution amendment and passing of the amnesty bill.

-- The Nation 2013-08-25

[NongKhaiKid]

There's an article in another newspaper indicating how the government are already blaming the opposition for any lack of success resulting from the forum since they decline to take part.

Nice defensive move and have excuses prepared well in advance.

Why can't can't the opposition do what they are told, turn up and agree with everything the government says and give the whole issue an air of respectability and responsibility ?

We have seen time after timet hat disagreeing with the government automatically means you are wrong.

[Robby nz]

Seems as if it is all A about F for they are pushing through legislation that is causing strife while talking reform.

Surely the reform and recommendations should come first.

But they look to have a separate agenda and of course the reds to appease.

[tingtongfarang]

They are in total denial when talking about the thais being divided or rather the reasons,

We cant stop the rifts because of predudice...what a joke, and then to compare with south africa?

[Credo]

This is a country where the elites have never had to share anything with anybody that they didn't want to share. It's also a country where the poor were taught from birth what their station in life was and to accept it. This delicate balance has been disturbed.

Reconciliation? This is uncharted territory in Thai culture.

[bigbamboo]

Let's see if this idea flies better than the famous Blimp.

[theblether]

In other news Michael Mouse has announced that he turned down an invitation to the event, his spokesman said......

" Michael is aware that he is a children's character with oversize ears and a grating squeaky voice, but even he must retain some level of credibility "

[tingtongfarang]

democracy, reconciliation, are just words they spout without intentions of either,

a country who stood proudly on the global stage? as far as i see it how they are seen on the global stage does,nt concern them, when their one and only goal is to bring back a convicted convict on the run white washed of his crimes and rape the country while working on it,

i might have more respect for them if they atleast stood up and told their true intentions rather than bare faced and blatant lies without a hint of embarrassment.

[Robby nz]

This is a country where the elites have never had to share anything with anybody that they didn't want to share. It's also a country where the poor were taught from birth what their station in life was and to accept it. This delicate balance has been disturbed.

Reconciliation? This is uncharted territory in Thai culture.

So tell me where in the world have the poor not been kept in their place?

The people in this country are now coming out and saying "we are no longer going to take crap from this Govt"

This can be seen from the rubber farmers in the streets today, the rice farmers who are saying they want a say in what the Govt doing with the rice scheme, the villagers who are protesting about a dam in their area that is likely to wipe out their village, and the many other small groups that appear almost daily.

The people in general and not just the poor are waking up now, with better communications they are able to see what is gong on.

This awakening can be put down to the blatant corruption and lies they can easily see and the unsustainable expectations they have been given which are now leading to major problems.

[tingtongfarang]

This is a country where the elites have never had to share anything with anybody that they didn't want to share. It's also a country where the poor were taught from birth what their station in life was and to accept it. This delicate balance has been disturbed.

Reconciliation? This is uncharted territory in Thai culture.

So tell me where in the world have the poor not been kept in their place?

The people in this country are now coming out and saying "we are no longer going to take crap from this Govt"

This can be seen from the rubber farmers in the streets today, the rice farmers who are saying they want a say in what the Govt doing with the rice scheme, the villagers who are protesting about a dam in their area that is likely to wipe out their village, and the many other small groups that appear almost daily.

The people in general and not just the poor are waking up now, with better communications they are able to see what is gong on.

This awakening can be put down to the blatant corruption and lies they can easily see and the unsustainable expectations they have been given which are now leading to major problems.

The fact that the lies become more blatant obvious/transparent by the day along with a high % of the population who have zero interest to be honest i find quite scary.

[Roadman]

There is no democracy in Thailand. The country is morally corrupt all through its governance, judiciary, law enforcement, military and a lot of its citizens. The Isaarn poor are taking on yet another new Amart. Add to that their Buddhist servitude and the wealth is to be spread even thinner. The millions on the bottom of the food chain will see less.

Nothing is going anywhere while the pigs in the trough mentality and the total destruction of each other seem to be all they understand at the expense of a general populace who are truly beautiful people.

One would have thought that if Yingluck truly believed in democracy and to deliver it for Thailand, she would have gone in search of others who believed the same and kicked her brother and his cronies to the side. The one strength she does have is that she by herself has a chunk of the thai populace behind her. Blood is thicker than water, but to the same it also has less of a view-able vision than water. Sometimes an exceptional leader does not need to be a master at governance. They just need to see that something is wrong and take the first step to do something about changing it. But then I still ain't seen flying pigs either.