PM may opt to issue executive decree

[Mark Thaiford]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

The aim for the Democrats is to rewrite the constitution to hinder or water down the weight of the votes from the Northern Provinces so they can be in power for the next 30 years. I would call that a return to dictatorship.

Final say by my Thai wife and friends

If your not a Thai citizen

your though's mean nothing

Why don't you be the first to take their advice and keep your thoughts to yourself then?

[Maestro]

Removed a nonsensical post about "gorillas in the mist" and the replies to it.

[Mark Thaiford]

How bloody lame does somebody have to be to believe that vote buying has any basis in fact to justify toppling the elected government? If the accusations were substantive all Suthep had to do is let the elections run and call in international monitors to expose and dismantle PTP and Thaksin for good, both in Thailand and in world opinion.

Yes, exactly. Suthep and Co. do not want reforms based on election transparency and truly anti-corrupt control measures which could come about via strict international control - all he and his cronies want is a system where they can rig the elections to their advantage.

It is cringeworthy to see so many naive expats on this forum who believe Suthep's lies about wanting to clean up democracy - either these posters have very low IQ or else they're being disingenuous in their postings and just use the anti-corruption argument to hit out at the government while they seek to hide their real reasons for supporting Suthep and his anti-democratic campaign.

[Puccini]

...

The change needs to come from the ground. A mechanism for brainwashing is already in place, so it wouldn't be that hard to pump in the message "corruption is evil". Just stick it into every single soap on TV.

I was thinking of education, ie schools, but I have to admit you are right, your method would be much more effective.

[Puccini]

But a designee of the Thaksin syndicate will be reelected again and the Thai cycle will repeat.

Thats called Democracy... If its what the people want, then however much bangkok hates it, thats the outcome.

As the French statesman and philosopher Joseph de Maistre said (most commonly used translation from French): "Every nation has the government it deserves", or, as suggested by some people, a more appropriate translation would be: "Every nation has the government it is fit for"

[Puccini]

Democrat Party leader Bhichai Rattakul called on Yingluck to show courage by stepping down in order to turn crisis into opportunity.

He said Yingluck can avoid plunging the country into chaos and Thailand becoming a failed state by quitting, postponing the February 2 election, paving the way for a new Cabinet that would not serve longer than 18 months

but who exactly do the Democrats propose would form the new Cabinet?

Presumably the members of the PDRC or PCAD, whose names have so far not been made public, with a few exceptions.

And it isn't the Democrats, ie the Democrat Party, who selected these members, but Suthep, who has broken off from the Democrat Party.

[MAJIC]

Bhichai and the other Democrats can push their unelected council as much as they want, but any government that results from a process which doesn't involve an election will not be accepted by those who support democracy.

No one anywhere that I have seen has proposed that elections be done away with, only postponed until reforms can be put in place to make said elections as fair as possible.

That does not take away anyones right to vote, indeed it should make their vote more secure without interference.

There are also the other matters that I am sure you will agree need urgent reform such as corruption, justice, police, education, etc, etc.

Would you trust any Govt once it gets into power to carry out these reforms for the good of the people and the country without self interest ?

Would you trust any Govt of Suthep's appointed panel once it gets into power to carry out these reforms for the good of the people and the country without self interest ?

And pray tell us what has the PTP Thaksin Government been about if not blatant self interest? and they should not be trusted back into power again!by any stretch of imagination.PTP is a proven corrupt failure Government,while the proposed Suthep standoff election until corruption has been dealt with is entirely yet to be proven!

meanwhile the Shinawatra clan will cling to power to the their last 50 baht and the last man standing!

[Puccini]

Final say by my Thai wife and friends

If your not a Thai citizen

your though's mean nothing

Please take a long walk and look after your own country before you cast coments on our country

you are just a guest here

if you not like the heat in the kitchen, go home

It was very kind of you to post the final say by your Thai wife and friends about the "though's" of foreigners. However, I am more interested to hear their final say about the "though's" of Thai people because it is they, the Thai people, who decide the fate of the Thai nation. In case a Thai person thinks differently from the way they think, where do they tell this person to go?

[F4UCorsair]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

Regardless of whether the strings are being pulled from Dubai, or otherwise, she heads a democratically elected government, and for the opposition to attempt to manipulate elections, get rid of her, or whatever they are trying to achieve, it is inviting a coup. The country cannot survive continuous, and continual, instability, and I can only imagine the economic cost that will be a result of such gross stupidity, and selfishness.

If fresh elections were held in a week or a month, it seems that her party would be re-elected.....then what? An opposition cannot demand fresh elections, or that the elected leader stand down because they don't like the result.

This smacks of Cambodia when Hun Sen wouldn't leave office, even though he was soundly beaten, back in 1993, so the compromise was a joint leadership deal. That wasn't what the people intended or wanted.

That gave him time to intimidate and coerce the population until the next election. What a prick of a man he is to a people who suffered so much under Pol Pot.

Edited January 13, 2014 by F4UCorsair

[JRSoul]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

Regardless of whether the strings are being pulled from Dubai, or otherwise, she heads a democratically elected government, and for the opposition to attempt to manipulate elections, get rid of her, or whatever they are trying to achieve, it is inviting a coup. The country cannot survive continuous, and continual, instability, and I can only imagine the economic cost that will be a result of such gross stupidity, and selfishness.

If fresh elections were held in a week or a month, it seems that her party would be re-elected.....then what? An opposition cannot demand fresh elections, or that the elected leader stand down because they don't like the result.

This smacks of Cambodia when Hun Sen wouldn't leave office, even though he was soundly beaten, back in 1993, so the compromise was a joint leadership deal. That wasn't what the people intended or wanted.

That gave him time to intimidate and coerce the population until the next election. What a prick of a man he is to a people who suffered so much under Pol Pot.

Regardless? Why should anyone disregard criminality, ineptitude, hundreds of billions disappearing from the country's treasury while the criminal running the show bloats his wealth?

[F4UCorsair]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

Regardless of whether the strings are being pulled from Dubai, or otherwise, she heads a democratically elected government, and for the opposition to attempt to manipulate elections, get rid of her, or whatever they are trying to achieve, it is inviting a coup. The country cannot survive continuous, and continual, instability, and I can only imagine the economic cost that will be a result of such gross stupidity, and selfishness.

If fresh elections were held in a week or a month, it seems that her party would be re-elected.....then what? An opposition cannot demand fresh elections, or that the elected leader stand down because they don't like the result.

This smacks of Cambodia when Hun Sen wouldn't leave office, even though he was soundly beaten, back in 1993, so the compromise was a joint leadership deal. That wasn't what the people intended or wanted.

That gave him time to intimidate and coerce the population until the next election. What a prick of a man he is to a people who suffered so much under Pol Pot.

Regardless? Why should anyone disregard criminality, ineptitude, hundreds of billions disappearing from the country's treasury while the criminal running the show bloats his wealth?

That's the opposition claim, of course, that may or may not be fact??

If the evidence is there, the voters will decide. How else can a democracy function?

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time, so to suggest that the majority who voted for the current government is suggesting they are all stupid. That will be the opposition claim.

My money is on a coup.

Incidentally did you mean 'gloats his wealth' or 'boasts his wealth'? Maybe a hybrid, and a new meaning for an existing word?

Edited January 13, 2014 by F4UCorsair

[ikke]

Yingluck is brainstorming....

She provided the storm, I guess.

And who provided the brain?

I guess you, did, as you know everything so well.

[JRSoul]

Regardless? Why should anyone disregard criminality, ineptitude, hundreds of billions disappearing from the country's treasury while the criminal running the show bloats his wealth?

That's the opposition claim, of course, that may or may not be fact??

If the evidence is there, the voters will decide. How else can a democracy function?

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time, so to suggest that the majority who voted for the current government is suggesting they are all stupid. That will be the opposition claim.

My money is on a coup.

Incidentally did you mean 'gloats his wealth' or 'boasts his wealth'? Maybe a hybrid, and a new meaning for an existing word?

bloat

[ blōt ]

1. swell: to become swollen or inflated, or make something do this
2. excessively expand: to increase excessively, or make something do this
3. swell with pride: to become or cause to become unpleasantly proud or conceited

Try reading my signature. Some of the requirements of democracy are an educated and informed populace, a press free to post critical analysis, and an independent police and judiciary. Something is lacking here, besides your vocabulary.

[F4UCorsair]

Regardless? Why should anyone disregard criminality, ineptitude, hundreds of billions disappearing from the country's treasury while the criminal running the show bloats his wealth?

That's the opposition claim, of course, that may or may not be fact??

If the evidence is there, the voters will decide. How else can a democracy function?

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time, so to suggest that the majority who voted for the current government is suggesting they are all stupid. That will be the opposition claim.

My money is on a coup.

Incidentally did you mean 'gloats his wealth' or 'boasts his wealth'? Maybe a hybrid, and a new meaning for an existing word?

bloat

[ blōt ]

1. swell: to become swollen or inflated, or make something do this
2. excessively expand: to increase excessively, or make something do this
3. swell with pride: to become or cause to become unpleasantly proud or conceited

Try reading my signature. Some of the requirements of democracy are an educated and informed populace, a press free to post critical analysis, and an independent police and judiciary. Something is lacking here, besides your vocabulary.

Such hostility for something so trivial. I almost posted that I wasn't provoking you, nothing more than a bit of fun, and regrettably I didn't, because your sense of a bit of fun, and mine, are quite obviously different.

I hadn't read that meaning into your post because I didn't see how he was growing his wealth. 'Gloating', and 'boasting' I did see. My apology.

Of course, the opposition is contending that they are informing and educating the populace (I'm assuming that you are using 'educate' in the sense of making them aware rather than the sense of formal education?)....would a press be any more free, the police and judiciary any more independent, under their government? It seems to an outsider that successive Thai governments are a little cowboyish in they way they conduct themselves.

I don't have a strong opinion on this. I'm merely saying that my observation is that the opposition will not be satisfied whatever is given/offered. If they want six months to an election so they can educate and inform the populace, but are still thrashed, what's next? More demonstrations, damaging the economy even more, because they lost again? You can only inform and educate the populace as much as they are prepared to be informed and educated. If the other side is doing a better job of doing that (and that's what happens in any democracy), then they will lose again.

It's far from an ideal situation, and I don' have answers, only speculation, but my money is still on a coup, which will possibly be just as damaging to the country and economy.

[Pops]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

The aim for the Democrats is to rewrite the constitution to hinder or water down the weight of the votes from the Northern Provinces so they can be in power for the next 30 years. I would call that a return to dictatorship.

The democrats will not succeed in that. They will have to work hard to convince the voters in the north of the just cause of their fight. The missunderstood fugitive still seems to be a hero for many. The dems will have to prove to the people up north what the shinaclan is all about.

What the Shina-clan is all about, is probably clear to many already.

What the old clan is all about, has been clear for many many decades.

Not much hope for any real progress, no matter what.

Lets hope, all of this ends without people getting hurt.

[LivinLOS]

The aim of the protesters is to get rid of the shinaclan. Yingluck can propose anything she wants, but anything other than her stepping down will not be accepted by the protesters.

The aim for the Democrats is to rewrite the constitution to hinder or water down the weight of the votes from the Northern Provinces so they can be in power for the next 30 years. I would call that a return to dictatorship.

Final say by my Thai wife and friends

If your not a Thai citizen

your though's mean nothing

Please take a long walk and look after your own country before you cast coments on our country

you are just a guest here

if you not like the heat in the kitchen, go home

This is home.. I have lived here a 3rd of my life and longer than any other single place.

The fact Thailand xenophobic immigration laws do not provide a way for me to naturalize and become a full citizen doesnt change the fact that this is more home than anywhere else.

[F4UCorsair]

"Final say by my Thai wife and friends

If your not a Thai citizen

your though's mean nothing

Please take a long walk and look after your own country before you cast comments on our country

you are just a guest here

if you not like the heat in the kitchen, go home"

How f***ing insensitive from your wife. She's be looking for a new place to live if she'd spoken to me like that!!

You're a guest who is no doubt paying the bills and giving her a lifestyle. #$&^? !!

[Robby nz]

Anyone else see something strange here ?

She can issue an executive decree to start a reform process but cant issue an executive decree to postpone the election.

And she has a precedent for postponing an election, her brother did it.

[F4UCorsair]

Anyone else see something strange here ?

She can issue an executive decree to start a reform process but cant issue an executive decree to postpone the election.

And she has a precedent for postponing an election, her brother did it.

Did she comply with the terms of the constitution when she called the election? if so, why would it be necessary to cave in to the opposition and delay it?

If she gives in to the carping opposition, whose intentions are probably not at all honorable, then she sets a precedent that they would no doubt capitalize on.

Politics is a nasty business.

[JRSoul]

Anyone else see something strange here ?

She can issue an executive decree to start a reform process but cant issue an executive decree to postpone the election.

And she has a precedent for postponing an election, her brother did it.

Did she comply with the terms of the constitution when she called the election? if so, why would it be necessary to cave in to the opposition and delay it?

If she gives in to the carping opposition, whose intentions are probably not at all honorable, then she sets a precedent that they would no doubt capitalize on.

Politics is a nasty business.

Try afterburners, you need to catch up. More than 5% of seats don't have registered candidates, so the election will not produce a result. At 3.8 billion baht, that is rather an expensive fool's errand (though they've got the right person for the job).

[pastitche]

Regardless? Why should anyone disregard criminality, ineptitude, hundreds of billions disappearing from the country's treasury while the criminal running the show bloats his wealth?

That's the opposition claim, of course, that may or may not be fact??

If the evidence is there, the voters will decide. How else can a democracy function?

You can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time, so to suggest that the majority who voted for the current government is suggesting they are all stupid. That will be the opposition claim.

My money is on a coup.

Incidentally did you mean 'gloats his wealth' or 'boasts his wealth'? Maybe a hybrid, and a new meaning for an existing word?

bloat

[ blōt ]

1. swell: to become swollen or inflated, or make something do this
2. excessively expand: to increase excessively, or make something do this
3. swell with pride: to become or cause to become unpleasantly proud or conceited

Try reading my signature. Some of the requirements of democracy are an educated and informed populace, a press free to post critical analysis, and an independent police and judiciary. Something is lacking here, besides your vocabulary.

I have read your signature - it is grammatically incorrect, so please don't be pompous. In case you are unaware, 'comprise' is not followed by an 'of'; perhaps you mean 'composed of'?

[F4UCorsair]

Anyone else see something strange here ?

She can issue an executive decree to start a reform process but cant issue an executive decree to postpone the election.

And she has a precedent for postponing an election, her brother did it.

Did she comply with the terms of the constitution when she called the election? if so, why would it be necessary to cave in to the opposition and delay it?

If she gives in to the carping opposition, whose intentions are probably not at all honorable, then she sets a precedent that they would no doubt capitalize on.

Politics is a nasty business.

Try afterburners, you need to catch up. More than 5% of seats don't have registered candidates, so the election will not produce a result. At 3.8 billion baht, that is rather an expensive fool's errand (though they've got the right person for the job).

Will the extra time help find candidates?

I guess there are those who would think the opposition leader is the fool?? Politics has a polarizing effect.