Sudarat row gives NCPO excuse to linger longer
Khunying Sudarat Keyurapan’s much-publicised offer to act as a mediator to bring politicians together to discuss political reforms has turned into a political row.
Ironically, her mediation plan could lead to a political upset which could be cited by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) as justification to stay on in power longer, according to an article in Siam Rath Weekly.
Khunying Sudarat told a recent forum at Mahidol University’s Salaya campus in Nakhon Pathom that politicians must embrace reforms. She also pointed out there is a possibility politicians may have to go back to square one if the draft charter is approved and leads to an organic law being issued that dissolves existing parties.
One of the 111 executives of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party banned for five years back in 2007, Khunying Sudarat has been criticised for her recent offer. Many see it as an effort to raise her public profile and persuade deposed prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to back her as Pheu Thai Party leader. She insisted she spoke up on the orders of Thaksin.
Things grew worse when Abhisit Vejjajiva, the Democrat Party leader, rejected her calls for consultations. That prompted Khunying Sudarat to ask on Facebook why a leader of an old party, a reference to Mr Abhisit, so quickly dismissed the need for politicians to talk about reforms.
“Abhisit is the one who ended our initial efforts at consultation among politicians which is an effort to find solutions for the country,” she wrote.
Some Democrat Party politicians have criticised her prickly response on social media platforms, accusing her of having a hidden agenda.
That was followed by a series of strong reactions from politicians in Khuying Sudarat’s camp, the Pheu Thai Party, and core-leaders of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship.
The Pheu Thai camp blamed the Democrat Party for failing to develop democratic values and dragging the country into its current economic turmoil.
Democrat politicians, meanwhile, slammed their arch-rival with strong and offensive words.
Siam Rath Weekly says the renewed fighting among politicians is little different from birds fighting in a cage as they are waiting to be slaughtered — a metaphor for being eliminated from politics.
Whatever their intention is, it is not a smart move, noted the weekly magazine.
The NCPO wants to end such political divisions, it said. The renewed fighting can give the NCPO a reason to stay longer in power, citing the need to end the political stalemate.
Previously, Gen Prayut told the media he will not resign if the draft charter is shot down in the referendum.
He insisted he will not quit until the country returns to peace and normalcy.
Going all out for charter
The Constitutional Court ruling which finds Section 61 is not contradictory to the interim charter has brought comfort to the military government and the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), says Matichon Weekly.
They can now focus on the goal of ensuring the draft charter is approved in the Aug 7 referendum, it said.
The government and the NCPO have attempted to drum up support for the draft charter and silence its critics.
On the face of it, the regime seems confident the charter will pass, but its heavy-handed attempt to muffle dissent suggests it can still get rattled.
A recent poll by the National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) found 62% of 1,500 people polled said they were undecided how to vote. About 27% said they will back it while 6% said they will cast a “No” vote.
After closing the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship’s fraud monitoring centres, the regime has come up with a similar version of the centres, to the surprise of many, launching its own peace-keeping centres last week. The NCPO cited the need to monitor possible fraud in the referendum and support the Election Commission’s handling of the poll.
The regime intends mobilising state resources nationwide including those of the Ministry of Interior and the Election Commission, and can ensure every constituency is watched.
Last week, the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication Commission ordered the UDD’s television channel Peace TV to suspend its operation. But the Administrative Court later ruled against the ban.
The military-appointed Constitution Drafting Committee and the National Legislative Assembly have also taken a cheer-leading role for the draft charter, trying to sell it to the public.
The military government has assigned Virasakdi Futrakul, vice-minister for foreign affairs and a team of Thai diplomats to explain Thailand’s situation to the United Nations, meeting UN deputy secretary-general Jan Eliasson in New York.
All of these attempts have narrowed down opportunities for those who disagree with the draft charter to advocate for the “No” vote.
The Constitution Court ruling may have removed uncertainties about the future of the referendum, but Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has made it clear those who plan to obstruct it will face the consequences.
With about one month left before the referendum, it remains to be seen how Thais cast their vote.