EASY RIDER
Chatichai Choonhavan was a flamboyant prime minister whose devil-may-care style broke with the staid traditions of Thai politics, writes Charoen Kittikanya
Like him or hate him, Gen Chatichai Choonhavan, who served as prime minister from August 1988 until his overthrow in February 1991, is remembered as one of a kind. The veteran politician was known for his “no problem” mantra, his carefree, flamboyant style, his cigar, his glass of wine and his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. But more than that, he was one of the godfathers of Thai politics who had the influence to make or break numerous coalition governments.
As the first elected prime minister in 12 years, Gen Chatichai made drastic changes in the style and substance of government. He launched a “grassroots-orientated, economic-based, people-led, military-supported, outward-looking, open-door policy” in national, regional and international affairs.
He set about strengthening the role of the private sector by developing trade relations within the region while cultivating friendly military contacts to promote peace.
Himself a former foreign minister with military, diplomatic and economic experience, Gen Chatichai intended to formulate the kingdom’s foreign policy with a broad perspective and long-range vision. He made an immediate impact in foreign policy by softening the country’s hostile attitudes towards Cambodia and Vietnam. He spoke of a new paradigm in which economics preceded politics and national security, transforming Indochina from a battleground into a marketplace where Thai businessmen could invest and make lucrative trade deals.
To achieve the new vision in Indochina relations, Gen Chatichai installed his private advisory group who had a different perception of the region from that of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He allowed the advisers to involve themselves not just in making policy but also in carrying it out.
With the decline of Thailand’s high-security footing, Thai relations with Indochinese states entered a new phase in which problems involving the socialist states were resolved through multilateral talks rather than the traditional monolithic approach. At home, the prime minister launched major infrastructure projects such as expansion of the telecommunications network, the development of the Eastern Seaboard and construction of roads and rail in the Greater Bangkok area.
Gen Chatichai felt that political matters should be dealt with by the agencies concerned, “while whoever wants to trade should be allowed to do as he wishes”.
“Politics is politics. Trade is trade. Don’t mix them together,” he said at his first press conference after assuming the premiership, according to a Bangkok Post report of Sept 9, 1988.
His policies arguably played a part in the country’s economic boom as GDP growth soared as high as 13% in 1988. But he had little time to achieve his aims. Within a few years, Gen Chatichai was ousted from power by a military coup on the grounds that his government was corrupt.