Stagnation in Thailand’s political scene was highlighted again last week as street protests held in Bangkok left roughly two dozen protestors injured. The protesters, led by supporters of the civil society group People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD), clashed with supporters of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in demonstrations aimed at stopping amendments to the new constitution that they say benefit Thaksin and his cronies. Tensions are growing high as protests have continued for more than a week, increasing fears that yet another coup might be lurking around the corner. Concern is high enough that US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, after meeting with Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, stated that the US urges respect for Thailand’s civilian leaders and discourages any attempts at military intervention.
The ruling coalition government’s primary force, the People’s Power Party (PPP) – which is largely composed of members of the ousted Thaksin’s banned Thai Rak Thai party – is currently leading the move to amend the constitution. New prime minister Samak made national reconciliation a priority in his policy address before parliament earlier this year. However, the PAD, which was largely responsible for the protests in 2006 that set the stage for the military coup, argues that the PPP is already breaking those promises of reconciliation with its attempts to impose the new amendments.
Amid what could be called a political culture of revenge, the PAD says it has collected around 30,000 signatures calling for the impeachment of some government MPs and senators. In theory, a set of amendments to the 2007 constitution, which was written under the watchful gaze of a military junta and was seen as a major step backwards from the “people’s constitution” of 1997, would be positive. Indeed, the 2007 Countries at the Crossroads report urged the adoption of a new charter that would be based on similar principals as the 1997 one. There are clearly major issues with the 2007 constitution that must be addressed, such as the immunity given to the military junta that carried out the 2006 coup and the fact that half of the Senate is now appointed rather than elected. However, the PAD notes that the PPP-led amendments are more self-interested, especially taking away the judiciary’s ability to dissolve political parties, an effort that comes in the context of multiple legal maneuvers aimed at disbanding the PPP. In addition, another core amendment will end the authority of the Assets Authority Commission that is investigating Thaksin for corruption. Ultimately, PAD supporters and street protesters fear a repeat of the abuse of power reported on in the Crossroads report, whereby Thaksin’s government accrued seemingly unrestricted powers that were utilized to maintain a hold on power and strengthen his patronage-based network.
Importantly, many incidents over the last week have mirrored those prior to the 2006 coup, leaving many to suggest a possible repeat if the divisions are not handled properly. It is hard not to see that as a possibility, given the similarities in Thai Rak Thai’s and the PPP’s cast of characters. In fact, Prime Minister Samak warned the protesters about military intervention last week. Adding to the political confusion is the division between the monarchy and pro-Thaksin supporters, as evidenced by the recent attack on PM’s Office Minister via the application of Thailand’s lèse majesté law, which allows for criminal convictions against those who are perceived to have denigrated the monarchy. Bowing to pressure, the Office Minister resigned on Friday due to the allegations.
As the 2007 Crossroads report recommended, Thailand must amend the lèse majesté laws so that they cannot continue to be used as they are today – as a political tool. In addition, and as numerous scholars across Thailand are urging, the government must carefully initiate a process of drafting a completely new constitution. This process must be fully transparent so as not to reinvigorate fears of the cronyism that plagued the Thaksin administration. While many of the actions taken by the PAD and the rest of the opposition appear, in part, as simple opposition to the party in power, the PPP must still make serious efforts to address stated grievances instead of focusing on a narrow, slanted agenda. Without a minimal effort to learn from recent mistakes and tread lightly, there is reason to suspect that this government, and the national political culture as a whole, is in deep trouble once again.
Photo Credit: Flickr user The Media Slut
