Lacking sincerity, the two sides are engaged in a race to the bottom: Thai politics

[webfact]

BURNING ISSUE
Lacking sincerity, the two sides are engaged in a race to the bottom
Samudcha Hoonsara
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Thailand, especially Bangkok, is taking on the appearance of a battlefield. Bunkers of protesters and troops as well as police checkpoints have been put up at several intersections, at key government offices and organisations, and outside private firms.

Security has been stepped up now that the sounds of gunfire and explosions are being heard almost daily, and rifts have spread to nearly every corner.

This kind of situation clearly shows that the political temperature has risen, with no indication that the rifts will be healed. Now, Thais are witnessing war-torn scenes - something they have seen only in movies - in their own homeland.

When will this crisis end? Neither the government nor the People's Democratic Reform Committee has a clear answer, because each side insists it is right, and refuses to budge.

But if the two sides' positions are closely considered, it can be seen that they have become exhausted, so they need to create a situation every now and then to boost support from their people. Of course, the sounds of gunfire and explosions and the scenes of casualties - which both sides have blamed on third-party groups - can be used to incite supporters to hate the other side even more.

For example, leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) incited their supporters during a rally in Nakhon Ratchasima by telling them to eliminate the people on the other side.

This kind of hate speech is unacceptable; such actions are unreasonable and uncivilised. There is a concern that such speech will incite the mass of supporters on both sides to confront each other.

It has been learned that the UDD is ready to strike back against the anti-government groups once it receives a signal and financial support from the man in exile. In the meantime, several PDRC leaders have admitted that certain groups have stepped in to protect the demonstrators if UDD militants or "men in black" storm in to attack them. As a result, the situation is very sensitive and militants on both sides - who are now hidden - will be ready to wage guerrilla warfare and cause the situation to deteriorate into a civil war.

Actually, the government is now on the defensive, because whenever it tries to strike back, the PDRC manages to launch an effective counterattack. Now, caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is in the spotlight because the National Anti-Corruption Commission is about to decide whether to indict her in the rice-pledging case.

The PDRC's position is no better. It has run out of ideas and its proposals have faded from public attention because they cannot be carried out as long as the Constitution remains intact.

Despite the worsening conflict, members of Thai society should ponder whether United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should be dragged in to find a solution. Does Thailand - which has in the past played a role in mediating conflicts in our neighbouring countries - need a UN intervention?

Political conflicts in other countries have ended through negotiations, but negotiations in Thailand are unlikely to succeed because neither side is sincere. Instead, each side tries to abuse legal technicalities to its advantage while using "unknown forces" to intimidate opponents.

Leaders of both sides should not simply hope that when the situation reaches its worst point, a person with charisma will step in to intervene. Since leaders of both sides have caused problems, they should try to solve them themselves. They should use lessons learned from the past to deal with the current situation.

Leaders of both sides should take into account the damage already done to the country and reconsider their own actions, and then turn to look at the other side with broad-mindedness. Then they should enter talks with reasonableness and sincerity to find a solution for the country.


-- The Nation 2014-02-28

[PatOngo]

"Lacking sincerity, the two sides are engaged in a race to the bottom"

My money is on a draw.......dead heat.

[Yunla]

Both sides are very sincere, they are sincere about plundering as much loot as they can from the struggling unfortunate masses, and sincere about holding onto power no matter how many innocent people die in the process. And they sincerely believe they can do all this without ever seeing the wrong side of a celldoor.

[Scamper]

The only route out of this is a constitutional one. The UDD's current campaign to eradicate the independent agencies would make that impossible. The UDD's latest push shows just how far Thaksin is prepared to go. The army has a duty to safeguard the institutions of the law. Yingluck as prime minister similarly has a duty to put an immediate stop to the UDD's attack on the legal system.

[ChrisY1]

"It has been learned that the UDD is ready to strike back against the anti-government groups once it receives a signal and financial support from the man in exile."

This should be published in the international media......let others know the level of hatred this man has for Thailand and it's people, now that he can't get back here!

Anyone that thinks Thaksin has done good, is wrong!

[phuketsub]

Nice headline for a change

[Yunla]

It has been learned that the UDD is ready to strike back against the anti-government groups once it receives a signal and financial support from the man in exile.

He is a fleeing criminal, he is for national purposes an "unelected overseas criminal interest" and under the laws of many nations around the world, taking orders from such a person falls under the broader treason category, as it is harmful to national security to have leaders taking orders from overseas unelected criminal persons. That is why people are elected, it is supposed to act as a security mechanism in that they are accountable for any acts they commit internally. This is not possible with overseas unelected interests, and so persons within a nation taking orders from abroad constitutes a direct threat to the nation, it is treasonous and detrimental to the peace and prosperity of everyone in the nation.

Edited February 28, 2014 by Yunla

[Fryslan boppe]

((Sorry about the spacing of this thing. Can't seem to fix it)

>"Lacking sincerity, the two sides are engaged in a race to the bottom"

>"Neither the government nor the People's Democratic Reform Committee has a clear answer, because each side insists it is right, and refuses to budge".

I would argue with the basic premise of both of these quotes from the article.

Accusing the Govt. and the millions who elected them of the sins of their opposites, is not correct.

There has been every effort made to resolve this thing by the elected Govt. in a macro sense via electoral means, and in a micro sense, to paying farmers.

With respect to that latter point, one can easily recall the recent hullabaloo as anti-democrats were suddenly transformed, ditching their usual derogatory snarls at farmers who vote for pro-Thaksin Shinawatra parties into whistling supporters of the sturdy yeomanry that was mobilized to demand rice payments said to be overdue. It was a remarkable transformation that was clearly a political maneuver rather than a heartfelt recognition that "buffaloes" had suddenly become "heroes."

In all of that bluster, the anti-democrats demanded that the government pay every single farmer every satang that was owed to them. The anti-democrats even went out collecting money for farmers as an act of charity, although it remains unclear whether a single satang made its way to any of the farmers suffering hardship.

Such cynicism is self-evident and should not be attributed to both sides, when in fact it is reflective of one side only.

The Govt. and its electoral underpinning have in fact, a very clear answer to the way forward.....Majority rule based on electoral results....Not complicated and clear.

The other side's vacillation from one issue to the other, trying to attain traction for their coup-intentionism shows lack of clarity, except for one thing...That being the intentions of unelectables to both force their way into minority rule, or barring that, at least to diddling the system to their advantage. This motive has been couched in their holier-than-thou bleatings about reform. Especially before an election so those self-serving changes can assist them immediately.

Trying to paint both sides with the same brush is in fact a 'paint brush wielded by one side"

Edited February 28, 2014 by Fryslan boppe

[chainarong]

Once again I refer to previous remarks I have made , the sincerity is there, it is miss-placed, the thought of representing the people hardly gets a mention , it is all about me , this mind set has been set in thought since the Thai beginning , they still have the junta mind set , it may have mellowed over the years but it is still there, the ruling elite will rule the country end of story and that's a pity, somewhere out there a labourer , taxi, buss, truck driver, might have been a great leader.

[bangkokheat]

so what your saying is grow up, to a nation that behaves like children and do as they please, and take what they want,,, yep i can see that happening

[noitom]

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Both sides are very sincere, they are sincere about plundering as much loot as they can from the struggling unfortunate masses, and sincere about holding onto power no matter how many innocent people die in the process. And they sincerely believe they can do all this without ever seeing the wrong side of a celldoor.

Sad but true.

[noitom]

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Once again I refer to previous remarks I have made , the sincerity is there, it is miss-placed, the thought of representing the people hardly gets a mention , it is all about me , this mind set has been set in thought since the Thai beginning , they still have the junta mind set , it may have mellowed over the years but it is still there, the ruling elite will rule the country end of story and that's a pity, somewhere out there a labourer , taxi, buss, truck driver, might have been a great leader. width=32 alt=coffee1.gif>

Sad, but true.

[hanuman2543]

"but negotiations in Thailand are unlikely to succeed because neither side is sincere. Instead, each side tries to abuse legal technicalities to its advantage while using "unknown forces" to intimidate opponents."

Sums up the main problems quite nice. Nothing to add.

[Emster23]

How about the Nation being sincere about reporting the news, rather than being a mouthpiece. They seem to have forgotten the attack on red shirt gathering at that stadium that got this whole "tit for tat" insanity going. And just where is the proof that Thaksin is pulling all the strings? I admit if he did return he could sue Nation et al for defamation, even if it were true (gotta love that Thai legal system, eh?).

Sad to say that sincerity is much like the smiles we see in LOS. Done for appearances only, nothing real behind it.