Thread: A year into office, no unity under Thai PM Abhisit: analysts

A year into office, no unity under Thai PM Abhisit: analysts
13 December 2009


Abhisit Vejjajiva

BANGKOK: In the year since he became Thai premier with no popular mandate, Abhisit Vejjajiva has underperformed on the domestic and regional stage and failed to reconcile a deeply divided nation, analysts say.

The Democrat party leader assumed power after winning a slim majority in a parliamentary vote on December 15 last year, following the downfall of a previous ruling party allied to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

After the constitutional court dissolved the People Power Party, prompting anti-Thaksin protesters to end a nine-day blockade of Bangkok's airports, the army helped to install a fragile coalition under the British-born Abhisit.

But analysts say the 45-year-old has failed to deliver on promises of national reconciliation in a kingdom still firmly split between supporters and foes of Thaksin, who was deposed in a 2006 coup.

"Thailand is further divided. It is further polarised," Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, told AFP.

"In his acceptance speech he said he would be a prime minister for everyone. But in fact he has not reached out to the other side."

Since Abhisit took office he has regularly invoked the tough Internal Security Act (ISA) when faced with protests by thousands of anti-government "Red Shirts" – Thaksin loyalists mainly from poor, rural areas in the north.

By contrast, during rallies by the rival, royalist "Yellow Shirts" who staged the airport siege that brought Abhisit to power, the prime minister has not enforced the ISA, Thitinan points out.

"The charges of double standards have been reinforced," he said, explaining that Abhisit had "leant back" on the yellows, a group tacitly supported by Thaksin-hating, Bangkok-based elites in the palace, bureaucracy and military.

Michael Montesano, a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said that equally worrying was the increased use under Abhisit of a strict lese majeste law. Under this law, insulting or defaming any royal family member is punishable by up to 15 years in jail.

"Those among Abhisit's foreign admirers who have always considered him a fellow liberal need to ask themselves how, if he's really such a liberal, he can preside over a government that so regularly uses this law," he said.

Paul Chambers, a senior research fellow in Thai politics at Germany's Heidelberg University, agreed the eloquent, Oxford-educated Abhisit had given Thailand "a presentable face on the international stage".

But he questioned the government's real effectiveness, for example in dealing with a separatist insurgency in the mainly Muslim south that has claimed 4,000 lives since January 2004.

"The Abhisit government has sought to place politics before the military... but any claims by the government that the insurgency is waning or that violence is down remain unsubstantiated," he said.

In terms of economic performance, Chambers recognised that Abhisit's approval of a one-time 2,000 baht (60-dollar) hand-out for the poor in the face of the recession "could be seen as a sort of plus for the government".

But while this seemed to ape Thaksin's populism, Thitinan said the Abhisit coalition had "got it wrong from the beginning" with stimulus packages that failed to address a desire for upward social mobility.

The twice-elected billionaire Thaksin has continued to loom large over the political landscape, despite living in self-imposed exile to avoid a two-year jail term for corruption.

When Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen appointed Thaksin economics adviser last month, angering Bangkok, the Thai premier showed a "cheap, anti-Cambodian" approach that "made clear that Abhisit is someone that loses his cool in international affairs," said Thitinan.

He said other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations also found Abhisit "very difficult to work with", and blamed a lack of success under Thailand's chairmanship of the body this year on his domestic preoccupations.

"Abhisit has played the role he was assigned – to represent a group of interests whose politics are defined by hatred and fear of Thaksin – and he has not yet grown larger than that role," Montesano said.

channelnewsasia.com

To be fair Abhisit and the Democrats have achieved a few things since they were appointed by the elite.

Let’s see, they have the media in their pocket, and then there were the sufficiency economy projects by the Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Education that cost a lot of money. Big promises of investigations by Abhisit, and then silence in the hope people will forget as in the prosecution of the PAD.

Then there is the increase use the ISA , the courts and the use of LM and the Computer Act to silence critiques.

The democrats has found it necessary to spend 734 Million Baht promoting themselves and the military budget has been increased by 209 Million Baht this year and the Ministry of Culture have made lots of people happy by singing a certain song.

And let us not forget the plight of the Rohingya people that were dragged out to sea, the increased deaths in the South and the increased tension with Cambodia and last but not least, the double standards that exists and the lopsided distribution of wealth that has increased putting Thailand in the same group as some of the poorest African counties.

Abhisit and the Democrats have archived a lot for themselves including free amulets.

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Nice to see your stated lack of bias in fell effect once more....

Hardly surprising he hasn't managed much in reconciliation, he is vying with Thaksin, the master of deceit. Hardly someone you could settle your differences with...unless it involves returning his ill gotten gains and pardoning him.....

555


Your post is only critical of Thaksin and clearly shows that you sympathize with a military instated government led by Abhisit.

So much for you being a neutral observer

Seems to me that there's certainly been oodles more stability across the country since Abhisit took power; Seems to me that Abhisit was able to demonstrate that quite well with several subsequent ASEAN summits hosted; It appears that Abhisit was also able to marginalize the pro-Thaksin forces well, as well as use their protests in his favor; He also appears to have done a good job marginalizing Thaksin.

Sadly, he can't be given credit for increasing his popularity almost 4 fold -- that credit goes squarely to Thaksin and the Cambodian Premier - very altruistic of them to help Mr. Abhisit in bolstering his popularity.

Looks like quite a bit has been achieved, despite the fellating by Thaksin's fanbois.

His greatest achievement is that he is still alive and P.M.

Originally Posted by gjbkk

a military instated government led by Abhisit.

link to those facts ? or evidence ? since when the election result was "instated" by the military ?

get your facts straight,

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by gjbkk

a military instated government led by Abhisit.

link to those facts ? or evidence ? since when the election result was "instated" by the military ?

get your facts straight,

You should open your eyes, dear BF.

Not sure which I prefer, and the more I hear and read the less I'm convinced there is a right answer. Toxin was a start for the lower classes to receive some crumbs and learn that such luxuries do exist, having until then got little but promises that all will be well as long as they worship those that need to be worshiped in order to keep them ignorant and pliable.

Meanwhile he was a crook, and that disqualifies him from many shortlists to lead the country, otherwise the compilers would need to justify how they could consider a thief. Only, robbers are ten a penny in these parts, no less than anywhere else in the world, where I don't know anyone that could count on the hand of a mitten the number of honest leaders.

Can't say much for the current crew either, not impressed with their roots, tactics, lip service, or childish antics, and to the chagrin of some I would state with certainty, without any proof, that each and every one is a crook.

Elections will come when Avashit has no choice, then best we can hope for is what the country and its people have endured several times and getting used to.

Not that our input is going to count for much, but which is better for Thailand in real time under actual conditions? Not a clue.

Originally Posted by watterinja

You should open your eyes, dear BF.

yours are still firmly closed

Originally Posted by thehighlander959

^ BF sees what he wants to see through his yellow tinted glasses.

sorry but I don't see Thai politics through the eye of Issaan whores and their peasant families

Originally Posted by thehighlander959

Put Thailand on the world stage? He,s having a laugh... Cronyism and nepotism come to mind when you talk about Thai Chinese they have always looked after their own first and f*ck everyone else nothing changes.

and explain me again how things will change with another government and another election ? exactly, nothing, OwNED again, redtard.

From an outsider's perspective I must say I get the feeling his elite Bangkok supporters are somewhat disapointed with his performance up until now.

What surprises me more is the fact the opposition have not put forward a legitimate front man and are still promoting a person who may never return to Thailand.

Come to think about it who is the leader of the opposition party and the man who would lead this country if they won the next election?

^ good point, where is the opposition leader ? opposition has been completely marginalized, only hoping for the chosen one to come back. It proves that they have no real party, only a cult for a particular leader. Without such leader, there is no opposition or even a party. If Thaksin were to be "killed", would there be even an alternative to lead that party ? definitely no.

Originally Posted by keda

Not sure which I prefer, and the more I hear and read the less I'm convinced there is a right answer. Toxin was a start for the lower classes to receive some crumbs and learn that such luxuries do exist, having until then got little but promises that all will be well as long as they worship those that need to be worshiped in order to keep them ignorant and pliable.

Meanwhile he was a crook, and that disqualifies him from many shortlists to lead the country, otherwise the compilers would need to justify how they could consider a thief. Only, robbers are ten a penny in these parts, no less than anywhere else in the world, where I don't know anyone that could count on the hand of a mitten the number of honest leaders.

Can't say much for the current crew either, not impressed with their roots, tactics, lip service, or childish antics, and to the chagrin of some I would state with certainty, without any proof, that each and every one is a crook.

Elections will come when Avashit has no choice, then best we can hope for is what the country and its people have endured several times and getting used to.

Not that our input is going to count for much, but which is better for Thailand in real time under actual conditions? Not a clue.

Nice post.

What choice indeed.

You have to feel for the people.

Originally Posted by gjbkk

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Nice to see your stated lack of bias in fell effect once more....

Hardly surprising he hasn't managed much in reconciliation, he is vying with Thaksin, the master of deceit. Hardly someone you could settle your differences with...unless it involves returning his ill gotten gains and pardoning him.....

555


Your post is only critical of Thaksin and clearly shows that you sympathize with a military instated government led by Abhisit.

So much for you being a neutral observer

So much for your ability to interpret the written word accurately

Originally Posted by Loy Toy

From an outsider's perspective I must say I get the feeling his elite Bangkok supporters are somewhat disapointed with his performance up until now.

What surprises me more is the fact the opposition have not put forward a legitimate front man and are still promoting a person who may never return to Thailand.

Come to think about it who is the leader of the opposition party and the man who would lead this country if they won the next election?

Toxin's nominee, clearly, and even if he is an unknown.

Says much for Thai politics.

Originally Posted by Butterfly

Originally Posted by gjbkk

a military instated government led by Abhisit.

link to those facts ? or evidence ? since when the election result was "instated" by the military ?

get your facts straight,

BF.

Personally I am pleased that Abhisit is at the helm, if only because I can see no better alternative. However, I think that it is a bit blinkered to think that his rise to power was not influenced by the military. I do understand that his PM'ship is legal in the technical sense but there are some very large question marks over his installment in the moral sense.

I still wish him all the best though, until a better alternative comes along at least.

meanwhile the military's own secret poll revealed that PT will out poll the Dem's 2 to 1 currently ..........

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

So much for your ability to interpret the written word accurately

Fact is that you do you sympathize with a military instated government led by Abhisit and you simply blame Thaksin for all of Abhisit failure.

Originally Posted by gjbkk

Fact is that you do you sympathize with a military instated government led by Abhisit and you simply blame Thaksin for all of Abhisit failure.

I bet you are an X-Files fan,

Originally Posted by gjbkk

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

So much for your ability to interpret the written word accurately

Fact is that you do you sympathize with a military instated government led by Abhisit and you simply blame Thaksin for all of Abhisit failure.

Whilst at the same time, you blame the current increased tensions between Thailand and Cambodia on Abhisit when it was Thakins party that was in power to kick start the tensions in the first place.

The questions about Pheu Thai leadership say more about some TD members lack of knowledge of Thai politics than they do about any Pheu Thai leadership vacuum. Their leader is Yongyuth Wichaidit, hardly, at least in Thailand, an unknown.

Originally Posted by DrB0b

The questions about Pheu Thai leadership say more about some TD members lack of knowledge of Thai politics than they do about any Pheu Thai leadership vacuum. Their leader is Yongyuth Wichaidit, hardly, at least in Thailand, an unknown.

I just asked my wife, my gardener and I am sure Thai's in general wouldn't know WTF Yongyuth Wichaidht is.

A name not really on everybody's lips and I would suggest he employs a new PR manager!

It's no secret of course who the real leader of Pheu Thai is.