Thai opinion: What happens next is up to 'Grandpa Yoo'

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STOPPAGE TIME
What happens next is up to 'Grandpa Yoo'
Tulsathit Taptim

BANGKOK: -- At the end of the famous cautionary tale, Grandpa Yoo grabs the biggest chunk of the fish and walks away. What happens next, nobody knows. We imagine that Grandpa In and Grandpa Na stare at what is left in front of them in disbelief, kicking themselves for not sharing, while they could, what they had - a whole fish that would have been more than enough for both of them.

(In case you don't know the tale, it can be summed up thus: Grandpa In and Grandpa Na have caught a fish but begin fighting over who should have it. Grandpa Yoo comes to stop the fight, saying one should get the head and the other the tail. The "judge" then rewards himself with the meaty midsection of the fish.)

The parallels between Thai political camps and the characters of this cautionary tale have taken on added significance following a major development earlier this month. The irony is deepening, too, because when General Prayut Chan-o-cha seized power from the Yingluck government, the Democrats and Pheu Thai were squabbling like schoolboys. Now, with the warring politicians united, temporarily, against the charter draft, they seem to have made Prayut's position stronger.

Thanks in part to the two parties' campaigns, the charter draft was shot down by the military-installed National Reform Council. That means the constitutional drafting process will have to restart, automatically lengthening Prayut's controversial reign at the helm. In this real-life tale, Grandpa Yoo, having gained power from the fight between Grandpa In and Grandpa Na, now seems to have benefited from their temporary truce, too.

Prior to September 6, critics of the military thought the worst-case scenario was an election next year followed by a "reconciliation government". Such a government is often described as democratically unrealistic. Democracy as we know it does not favour political rivals sharing administrative power. The winner-takes-all concept was adopted and embraced for good reason. What if the rivals have extremely different ideas on key issues? What if one party, say, wants to run a major budget deficit and legalise gambling while the other balks at such policies?

Yet even this democratically dubious scenario must now look appealing to many.

Instead of a "reconciliation government" next year, the politicians will now have to be content with Prayut's solo show for considerably longer. But make no mistake, the Democrats and Pheu Thai would have been helpless anyway if (as some suspect) the charter draft's rejection was a smokescreen to allow Prayut to stay on longer. In that case, the rival parties were only guilty of making things a lot easier for the military.

Having secured a firm grip on the biggest part of the fish, the Grandpa Yoo of the cautionary tale - which is told to calm down quarrelling children - will just go ahead and eat it. Prayut, however, can't do so. This is where reality comes in. Late South Korean president Park Chung-hee was popular for his no-nonsense tackling of national issues, but constitutional manoeuvring to extend his stay finally led to his fatal downfall. Another South Korean president, Chun Doo-hwan, apparently failed to learn the Park Chung-hee lesson and was forced to leave office in disgrace after constitutional schemes designed to prop up his stay at the top backfired. World history furnishes a slew of similar stories.

Supporters of Prayut might be cheering. And maybe Thailand's political situation remains too volatile to let extremists on both sides back on the streets again. However, the rejection of the charter draft has increased scepticism about the military's motives all the same.

Prayut's proclaimed mission is more than a little ironic. He is supposed to be spearheading efforts to reform Thailand in a way that prevents the necessity for people like him to play Grandpa Yoo in the future. For a fleeting moment, Prayut seems to have succeeded in reconciling the Democrats and Pheu Thai. But Thailand is nowhere near the point of genuine political reconciliation. Grandpa In and Grandpa Na will keep fighting, while Grandpa Yoo and his supporters have tasted the fish and are probably hooked. The problem is, Prayut has bitten off a big morsel, and both his admirers and his haters are waiting to see if it's more than he can chew.

All three grandpas must realise that the fish will eventually need to be shared among all Thais and must not become any single group's trophy. Prayut is holding the biggest portion now, so he has more control over what happens next.

Maybe this tale will end happily, with Grandpa Yoo walking away for good reasons.

If, instead, Grandpa In and Grandpa Na join hands to mug him, the story will be too sadistic for kids. Unfortunately, stranger things have happened in real life.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/What-happens-next-is-up-to-Grandpa-Yoo-30268868.html


-- The Nation 2015-09-16

[NeverSure]

^^^ Huh?

[jaidam]

Incredibly, after translating the article into ancient sanskrit it made more sense.

[SABloke]

Words fail me...or they failed writer

[NongKhaiKid]

Is this the same author that penned the equally unintelligible father and son supposedly discussing politics etc ?

Edited September 15, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[BSJ]

I don't eat a lot of fish...and I sure ain't swallowing any of this fishy story! I like the PM. he isn't perfect but he sure has bought peace and stability to the country.

[BSJ]

Just had a quick look on the web to see what's going on with this journalist with a penchant for stupidity and I came across this "

Deconstructing Tulsathit Taptim: I'm a Thai Reporter; Truth is Irrelevent

"

Look for thailandjumpedtheshark blog, it's from a 2009 blog post so we can conclude the journalist is just doing what he always has!

Edited September 15, 2015 by BSJ

[h90]

Words fail me...or they failed writer

And I thought it is my English skills.....but seems native speaker don't get it as well....

[baboon]

Has rubl now got a job at The Nation?

[NeverSure]

I like the PM. he isn't perfect but he sure has bought peace and stability to the country.

With that kind of thinking I'm sure you were able to read the OP perfectly.

[canuckamuck]

Classic Tabtim Article, An intriguing lead in, a childish analogy, and a complete lack of coherent argument.

[chainarong]

What happens next in this fairy tale is up to the people or maybe the students, as history repeats itself once more.

[Tatsujin]

Rambling ... incoherently ... endlessly ... please ... make it stop!!!!!

[phoenixdoglover]

So there were three guys in that story. Two guys having a typical argument, as yet unresolved, and a thief.

[15Peter20]

Evidently the current political situation is just too simple for this author to convey in plain language. Those hours must just fly by at The Nation's offices.

[englishoak]

outstanding piece of gibberish, sounds like a draft script might for the PMs UN speech.

[mca]

Stay tuned for the next article which starts off referring to the need for serious educational reform in Thailand, mentions " Someone's been eating my porridge" said Papa Bear mid-stream and ends with " Perhaps your name is Rumplestiltskin" the father kindly enquired of his son.

Edited September 16, 2015 by mca

[mca]

At university....

"I was quite intrigued by your dissertation on the Bauhaus influence on modernist architecture but fail to see the connection between the subject and a horse drawn carriage turning into a pumpkin at the stroke of midnight. "

[FloridaExport]

So all this time Thai people have been telling me "up to Yoo" instead of "up to you" when they disagree with me? It's much less passive aggressive than I imagined.

[62strat]

Welcome to the New approved Form of the expression of Opinions ..... (critical and coherent writtings must to be deemed threatening by constrast )

[LannaGuy]

It obviously means:

Dems get the head (they can pretend they were elected fairly) and PTP get the tail (they can moan they were unelected unfairly) and the Army gets the juicy bit in the middle

Edited September 16, 2015 by LannaGuy

[PatOngo]

Is Grandpa Yoo related to Uncle Too?

[Thai at Heart]

Next week. How to brainwash everyone to have the same opinion.

Case study "Thailand 2014 to 2015". Musings of a useless journalist.....

[jesimps]

I don't eat a lot of fish...and I sure ain't swallowing any of this fishy story! I like the PM. he isn't perfect but he sure has bought peace and stability to the country.

Which is what we had before the staged protests farce.

[wabothai]

thank you all for saving me from a severe case of inflated self worth - having problems understanding the "grandpa po and his fish" jibberish.

[lamyai3]

Classic Tabtim Article, An intriguing lead in, a childish analogy, and a complete lack of coherent argument.

I find myself thinking the same thing every week! Funny to see that almost everyone else is of a similar opinion...

[Srikcir]

I prefer an analogy to the story of Hansel and Gretel:

Hansel - PTP

Gretel - Democrats

Candy house in the woods - Thai sovereignty

Nemesis - Prayut