Thai talk: When the old boatman switches to a ferry midstream

[webfact]

THAI TALK
When the old boatman switches to a ferry midstream
Suthichai Yoon
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- Premier Prayut Chan-o-cha stirred another round of heated debate last week when he said that his mission to return the country to democracy couldn't be likened to piloting an "old uncle's boat". It's a "big ferry" packed with passengers and moving at great speed, he said.

This game of political metaphor began some months ago when Deputy Premier Wissanu Krea-ngam told reporters that drawing up a new constitution leading to an election was like crossing a river in a small boat rowed by an old uncle.

The implication was that the "old uncle" knew where he was going and how to row the boat, so the passengers had to follow his wishes. If anyone refused, he or she would have to get off.

Wissanu never made it clear who exactly the "old uncle" is. Typical of Thai political culture, it was assumed that everybody was clear about his identity.

Even more striking was that General Prayut made no public response to the statement. Did his silence indicate a tacit admission that he was the old boatman? The speculation had lain below the surface for so long that most observers thought he had accepted the "fait accompli".

They were wrong. Last week, the premier finally issued a statement on the issue - not a flat denial but rather an expansion of the analogy. He said he wasn't the "old boatman" but rather a "man piloting a big ferry" with lots of people across the river with great haste.

Reporters must have been caught off guard since not one grilled the premier on whether that meant the "ferryman" was no longer afraid of passengers rocking the boat - and whether the "quicker speed" meant the new charter would be completed before the deadline of 180 days under drafting chief Meechai Ruchupan.

But at least he has finally busted the "myth" of the old man and the boat.

A new riddle has taken its place, though. What happens after the ferry has delivered its passengers to the other side of the river? What will the pilot do then?

We can't expect the premier to answer that specific question, of course. But if his core mission is to get the constitution drawn up so that it gains public approval in a referendum, the big question concerns what it will say about the chances of an "outsider" becoming prime minister - and whether it will give a group of people all-embracing power to dictate things after the election via the highly controversial "crisis panel".

If it's still a small rickety boat, the old man rowing will have to handle it with great caution, taking care to address every passenger's demand so as to avoid any incident that might cause it to capsize.

But if it's a big ferry, small waves won't have any real impact on its progress. The pilot can afford to ignore some "troublemakers" aboard - and he might even consider throwing some overboard, though that might not be a very popular move.

All signs point to the inclusion in the charter of the two controversial provisions, in the name of providing "buffers" or "safeguards" for possible, unforeseen scenarios that might cause chaos to the country.

Most politicians and some academics have taken the Constitution Drafting Committee to task for insisting on a clause that would permit a non-MP to become prime minister, even though the "outsider" would have to gain a two-thirds majority vote in Parliament. Some say this provision is necessary to avoid the damaging stalemate that would result from a failure by opposing sides to agree on an MP to lead the country out of a crisis.

A new charter element provoking a small storm is the idea that if Parliament can't pick a prime minister within 30 days of convening, then the House will be dissolved and a new election held. Observers are questioning why this unprecedented clause is necessary at all.

The explanation offered by its proponents is that the short deadline will prevent parliamentarians from dragging their feet over choosing a new prime minister.

The inclusion of a charter provision for a "crisis panel" remains a strong possibility - on the grounds that a government caught in an emergency it cannot resolve must have a "fire escape" to evade catastrophic consequences. Critics, of course, see this as an attempt by the current powers to ensure they retain their grip after the election.

The premier has said nothing at all about these controversial proposed clauses, so it's perhaps unsurprising that his latest statement on "crossing the river" is being so closely scrutinised for clues.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/When-the-old-boatman-switches-to-a-ferry-midstream-30274196.html


-- The Nation 2015-12-03

[NongKhaiKid]

Utter crap, little wonder the country and its politics etc are in a mess when everyone talks in riddles and mixed metaphors.

Of course Thainess not to be direct.

[Rocceao]

This is another metaphor, you may like to ponder;

"Don't trust a crooked Jocky on a doped up horse"

[noosard]

his mission to return the country to democracy couldn't be likened to piloting an "old uncle's boat".

but a Thai aircraft carrier

Going no where

[waldroj]

The analogy of the big ferry moving at great speed is quite appropriate, the only thing missing is the rudder!

[chrisrazz]

Don't pay the ferryman, until he get you to the other side.

[MZurf]

Uncle Too led a mutiny and too command of the Thaitanic, and he is now heading straight towards the iceberg with full speed.

[Tatsujin]

No wonder nothing gets done here, they're all talking < deleted >.

[trainman34014]

'Moving at great speed'......down the plughole !

[SiSePuede419]

Who's old uncle actually rows his boat? No Thai Proverbs involving long tails?

A bad boatman complains of the bends in the port, 555