Only three pillars of hope left standing: Thai opinion

[webfact]

OVERDRIVE
Only three pillars of hope left standing
Thanong Khanthong

BANGKOK: -- Thailand's political situation is now even more precarious. We have been gripped by crisis for the past four months, with confusion growing by the day. And nobody is daring to predict how or when the crisis will end. Let's review some of the earlier assumptions, before we attempt a fresh assessment of the unravelling political scene.

First, many expected Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to cave in and submit her resignation as head of the caretaker government. This would pave the way for the appointment of an interim government, which would undertake the reform process. Yet, this has proved to be a fantasy. It is true, however, that the military gave Yingluck until February 21 to resign, saying it would not be held accountable for what might happen if she did not do so. That deadline passed two weeks ago. And Yingluck continues to enjoy chats with the military top brass. Any hope for her voluntarily resigning is a daydream.

Second, the February 2 election was held, but voter boycotts and complications mean it won't be able to produce a result. The Constitution requires Parliament to convene 30 days after the election. But the Election Commission has yet to endorse even one single MP. The deadline for a new Parliament passed on Tuesday, amid a political vacuum but no serious incident. Yingluck is still hanging on as caretaker PM, unperturbed by the deadlock. And since Parliament cannot be convened, it cannot vote in a new prime minister within the 30-day deadline stipulated.

Third, the National Anti-Corruption Commission summoned Yingluck to appear before its panel on February 27 to defend herself against charges of negligence over the rice pledging scandal. If the NACC decides to press charges against Yingluck, she will automatically be stripped off her caretaker premiership. And if the NACC were to rule that Yingluck is guilty of neglecting her duties in overseeing the rice scheme, it would pass the case on to the Senate for impeachment proceedings and to the Supreme Court for criminal proceedings. Yingluck has so far declined to turn up at the NACC to hear the charges. The commissioners have given her until next Friday to do so. Once again, the whole situation is turning into a game of cat and mouse. And Yingluck can continue using delaying tactics almost indefinitely.

Finally, there were rumours that the military would eventually take matters into their own hands and end the crisis by launching a coup. Tanks and troops were redirected to the capital. But a coup has become a remote possibility.

The Occupy Bangkok protesters are getting more confused by the day. They have been told again and again that Yingluck would be ousted any day now. But that day has never arrived. Meanwhile, the number of deaths and injuries at rally sites has risen, though at a slower pace of late. For financial and security reasons, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban has consolidated the main focus of the protest to a single site at Lumpini Park. However, Lung Pu Buddha Issara is still leading a protest group at the Chaeng Wattana rally site, and the Khor Por Thor Group in continuing with its Occupy Government House protest.

Elsewhere, red shirts have shown their true colours by calling for a separate state, which would combine the North and Northeast, with Chiang Mai as the new capital. Strangely, Yingluck chose to ignore the secessionists and go about her business without issuing any warning to her supporters. The police have been somewhat subdued after losing the battle on February 18 at Phan Fah Bridge, when they were routed by special forces. The courts subsequently declared that the government must not use force to disperse the protesters.

The traditional pillars of Thailand's national security are:

1. The monarchy;

2. The government;

3. The justice system, including the judicial process, public prosecutors and police;

4. Parliament, which acts on behalf of the people;

5. The Thai people as a whole;

6. The military;

7. The economic wellbeing of the country.

We can leave out, for the time being, the government, the judiciary, Parliament, and economic wellbeing, because the ongoing crisis has rendered them obsolete. This leaves only the monarchy, the people and the military as the last pillars standing to save the country.


-- The Nation 2014-03-07

[ManofReason]

An here I was thinking the military had conducted some 18 coups in the country. Guess it's really down to just 2 pillars.

[davehowden]

Change has to start from the top, the very very top I'm afraid.

[djhotsox]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."
- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

[Somtamnication]

As I said before.. one pillar to Suthep, one pillar to Yingluck and the third pillar up the a$$!

[noitom]

The author can't deny the contribution of the girls. Hats off to the Thai girls, the backbone of Thailand's black economy.

[renaissanc]

The NCCC isn't stupid. They know that Yingluck will try to keep delaying the case with the hope that the elctions will be completed one day. They'll give her a final deadline, I think. If she fails to show up, the NCCC will file charges formally and she'll have to resign. This will start the end of Thaksin's rule.

[tomyummer]

Sorry to say that all those 'pillars' mean nothing if there is a lack of respect for them. Which now means that Thailand is doomed.

And why is there any surprise about those missed deadlines? Thais don't believe on proper schedules or deadline dates. Unless it has to do with expired visas of course.

Edited March 7, 2014 by tomyummer

[Fryslan boppe]

"Thailand's political situation is now even more precarious. We have been gripped by crisis for the past four months, with confusion growing by the day. And nobody is daring to predict how or when the crisis will end. Let's review some of the earlier assumptions, before we attempt a fresh assessment of the unravelling political scene"

Precarious,.........gripped by crisis.....confusion growing......nobody daring to predict......when the crisis ends......unravelling political scene....

Wow, pretty dire isn't it.

As if this was reality.

Descriptions by a PAD-Dem, coup-monger sympathizer, trying to suggest the coupists have created all of this stuff.

A little over-the-top self-aggrandizement, don't you think?

In the meantime, an election is trundling along, in spite of their best self-serving efforts to obstruct it.

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

Especially the UDD/RS elements of that majority....they have been politicised to such a degree, that they don't perceive things to be as dire as the electorally challenged minority does.

No amount of pessimism by this minority describes reality.

This is only a reality they hope for.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Fryslan boppe

[ppmacready]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

[Thaddeus]

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

The level of apathy shown at the recent elections is a clear indicator that most of the electorate no longer gives a toss.

Only the staunch supporters of either side are being vocal, and neither could claim to be a majority.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Thaddeus

[Thai at Heart]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

Well that doesn't work because in thailand some people are worth more than others.

You need to read the 3/5 rule proposed in notthenation.

[ManofReason]

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

The level of apathy shown at the recent elections is a clear indicator that most of the electorate no longer gives a toss.

Only the staunch supporters of either side are being vocal, and neither could claim to be a majority.

2011 election had a 75% turnout - that is quite high.

2014 election = much less, but what do you do when one side doesn't show up.

My guess is that most of the electorate would like to put this thing to bed by having a properly contested election where all party's accept the outcome as soon as possible.

It's quite clear which tiny minority are preventing this from happening and why.

[PREM-R]

The police have been somewhat subdued after losing the battle on February 18 at Phan Fah Bridge, when they were routed by special forces. The courts subsequently declared that the government must not use force to disperse the protesters.

"when they were routed by special forces"

So "The Nation" admits that the Thai armed forces are not infact neutral but are the famous "men in black" who have been so instrumental in causing violence at protests in Bangkok at present and also in the past.

[aguy30]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

Well that doesn't work because in thailand some people are worth more than others.

You need to read the 3/5 rule proposed in notthenation.

If we are to refer to NotTheNation, then this article is probably worth reading.

"Anti-Suthep Surpasses Anti-Thaksin As Laziest Expat Opinion"

[Cnxforever]

The NCCC isn't stupid. They know that Yingluck will try to keep delaying the case with the hope that the elctions will be completed one day. They'll give her a final deadline, I think. If she fails to show up, the NCCC will file charges formally and she'll have to resign. This will start the end of Thaksin's rule.

sorry you are wrong. If you would get your news from other sources than the biased "The Nation" you would know that's not how it works!

The above article in The Nation is wishful thinking and the usual whining about the lost opportunity of another coup - the poor anti-democrats they have tried so hard - saw the tanks rolling already - but only for children's day!

The NACC decides if there is reason to impeach - the only thing the NACC could do is to suspend the PM and forward the report they come up with impeachment recommendations to the senate under section 272- which will be difficult to do as they will hardly be able to prove that the PM was involved directly in corruption.

If one or several employees of let's say Microsoft would be involved in illegal corrupt dealings and got caught - one could hardly hold Bill Gates accountable for their behavior.

While we all know there is corruption involved in the rice scheme - to prove it is another thing - Thailand has perfected covering up corrupt dealings since ages this after all is "The Hub of corruption" - the NACC can not punish the PM for the corruption of others - this needs to be investigated separately and then handled by the relevant authorities.

The NACC can not remove the PM from office - the Prime Minister, is only removed from office upon being impeached under Section 274 by the Senate.

The NACC could suspend her under Section 272 but that's it - she would still be the PM. The caretaker cabinet would still be in place until - or if - the PM is removed under Section 274 - which is impeachment by the Senate.

Which sets in motion a process which can be dragged out for quite a while as the last highly publicized case of a Thai politician under impeachment procedures proves - ...........oh what a surprise!!!

ehemm......we have... we have a case example of the process in the very recent past. What a surprise! I am devastated - it can not be !!! The well known anti corruption crusader of "Bangkok Shutdown" fame - the corrupt, scoundrel and gangster - wanted with arrest warrant - Suthep himself !!!

Of course with the Thai senate being almost handpicked by a certain group - at least the 88 votes needed for impeachment - this time - as opposed to Sutheps proceedings - the delays will be minimal - still it will be weeks until anything happens at all.

[JoeThePoster]

The author can't deny the contribution of the girls. Hats off to the Thai girls, the backbone of Thailand's black economy.

More pole than pillar.

[rubl]

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

The level of apathy shown at the recent elections is a clear indicator that most of the electorate no longer gives a toss.

Only the staunch supporters of either side are being vocal, and neither could claim to be a majority.

2011 election had a 75% turnout - that is quite high.

2014 election = much less, but what do you do when one side doesn't show up.

My guess is that most of the electorate would like to put this thing to bed by having a properly contested election where all party's accept the outcome as soon as possible.

It's quite clear which tiny minority are preventing this from happening and why.

you probably missed the part of the respect my vote ... even AFTER it has been counted.

[Dogmatix]

So Thanong has now given up on the judiciary as he obviously thinks YL can delay and slither her way out of the rice pledging scandal. That only leaves the monarchy, the people and the military. The monarchy is not going to make any initiatives. The military is too busy consolidating gains of the reshuffle with YL powerless to intervene but it needs YL to be in power to sign it into law and doesn't want any challenge that could unravel that with an assertion she was not a legit PM when she signed it.

That only leaves the people who have never been able to unseat a Thai government without the help of the judiciary or the military. So YL will stay for ever as caretaker PM.

[PepperMe]

"Thailand's political situation is now even more precarious. We have been gripped by crisis for the past four months, with confusion growing by the day. And nobody is daring to predict how or when the crisis will end. Let's review some of the earlier assumptions, before we attempt a fresh assessment of the unravelling political scene"

Precarious,.........gripped by crisis.....confusion growing......nobody daring to predict......when the crisis ends......unravelling political scene....

Wow, pretty dire isn't it.

As if this was reality.

Descriptions by a PAD-Dem, coup-monger sympathizer, trying to suggest the coupists have created all of this stuff.

A little over-the-top self-aggrandizement, don't you think?

In the meantime, an election is trundling along, in spite of their best self-serving efforts to obstruct it.

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

Especially the UDD/RS elements of that majority....they have been politicised to such a degree, that they don't perceive things to be as dire as the electorally challenged minority does.

No amount of pessimism by this minority describes reality.

This is only a reality they hope for.

So are you trying to tell us now that 8 million (and falling by the day) out of 48 million are the electoral majority and the other 40 million are the 'electorally challenged minority'??

My 7 year old son can do better math than that.

[Scamper]

Exceptional summary. Indeed, it seems obvious to the writer - and to most people at this stage - that there are no more options left for Ms. Yingluck. She can either acknowledge that she is no longer constitutionally in power, or be removed through the judicial process - provided of course - and this is the big " if " - it is allowed to proceed. If the judicial process is impeded in any way, or even stopped altogether - that will be a clear signal to the army to restore order. Why has Thaksin pushed his sister to this ? He directs, but she still has to play it out. Sadly, it comes down to a familiar refrain - ambition.

[Fryslan boppe]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

That is a great sign.

I'm gonna save that.

Especially appropriate for Thailand.

I might adapt it a wee bit as follows:

When the unelectables steal the vote

They call it 'Reform" or "return of Democracy, their way"

When those whose votes were stolen, fight back

They call it violence

I see so much repetition by PAD-Dem sympathizers, demonizing the UDD/RS for fighting back instead of demonizing their coup-mongers who created the condition for violence in the first place.

They particularly like to highlight the violence of 2010 R'song ---- although not the coupist instigated military attack ---- without ever mentioning the coup which precipitated it.....As if those who fought back against a coup-imposed Govt., were acting in a political vacuum....

Painting the coupists as angelic, if mentioning them at all, and the protest against it as anarchic.

In their world....The action is angelic - the reaction is demonized.

Edited March 7, 2014 by Fryslan boppe

[Fryslan boppe]

For all its' imperfections, especially in Thailand, elections are still the best vehicle whereby to choose who governs the country.....And the electoral majority knows it.

The level of apathy shown at the recent elections is a clear indicator that most of the electorate no longer gives a toss.

Only the staunch supporters of either side are being vocal, and neither could claim to be a majority.

We will see.

Finish the election and tabulate the results.

[belg]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

you are not thai, are you,nor you have thai wife?

the country, in thais eyes, belong to ONE man only, the one at the top

[peterpop]

Yet another hopelessly unbalanced article from the Nations 'Wanabe' propagandist.

[Westering]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

That would be good.

The historical fact, however, that both American presidents you quote here were assassinated while still in office might give us some hint as to why leaders of this kind have not been eager to step forth into the Thai political arena.

[Old Man River]

The NCCC isn't stupid. They know that Yingluck will try to keep delaying the case with the hope that the elctions will be completed one day. They'll give her a final deadline, I think. If she fails to show up, the NCCC will file charges formally and she'll have to resign. This will start the end of Thaksin's rule.

Why would it the end to Thaksin's rule? It would be on to the next family member. It is a big family.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[animatic]

The judiciary is still functioning.

4th pillar OK.

[awakewarrior]

The only functioning man on the top is away in Germany and likes to fly big planes....

[djhotsox]

IMHO the Country belongs to the people, therefore it is the people and only the people that are responsible for "saving" the country.

Say what you will about the Americans but they have had some great leaders who have been quoted throughout history.

"Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world." -----Abraham Lincoln

"Let us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future."

- John F. Kennedy

The Thai people need to find such a leader.

you are not thai, are you,nor you have thai wife?

the country, in thais eyes, belong to ONE man only, the one at the top

I understand your comment and your belief, and I do not have to be Thai to do so.

If you feel the country does not belong to "you", would you at least not want to do everything in your power to save it for "him"?

Or since it belongs to the one at the top are you making that person accountable for the state of the nation?

Is this not the reason why Thailand became an electoral democracy? To give the people power?

(For the record: I love Thailand, I love Thais and I love your man at the top.)