Regime critic pulls a 180
When the cabinet appointed Phalang Chon Party leader Sonthaya Khunplome as an adviser to the prime minister to help the government with its work, few rallied to its side.
By most accounts, the move was more of a political deal to consolidate the regime’s efforts in clearing the way for Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha’s return as prime minister after the polls expected by February next year, according to observers.
Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva pulled no punches as he disclosed that a militarybacked political party was headhunting politicians by offering them positions as ministers’ assistants and other political posts if it was able to form a government.
Chartthaipattana Party member Paradorn Prissanananthakul was among the few who welcomed the move.
He appreciated the regime’s decision to tap into such resources but had one question: “Why did it take this long [to offer politicians positions]?”
Following Mr Sonthaya’s appointment, Gen Prayut was quoted as saying it was important to look at what existing parties had achieved and whether they had pushed forward policies as demanded by the public.
Gen Prayut’s remark was seen as out of character for the premier who often adopts an aggressive tone when discussing politics. According to his critics, the controversial questions the premier posed last year about elections spoke volumes about his condescending attitude towards politicians.
Mr Paradorn, the former MP for Angthong, saw the latest development as a good sign and an indication that the regime has begun to recognise the value of politicians.
In his opinion, in recent years the government has relied heavily on input from state officials that could be incomplete and inaccurate, let alone one-sided. This kind of information did not make for good decisions.
Politicians, on the contrary, were in touch with the people and obtained first-hand information that aided their efforts to address people’s plight.
Their experience and insight should be useful to the regime and at the end of the day it was the public who stands to benefit, according to the son of veteran politician Somsak Prissananathakul, who is Mr Paradorn’s father.
“Politicians are a mixed bag, like people in other professions. There are good and bad ones. I think the government has become aware of this and started to make good use of them. This is a good start, but it comes a bit late,” Mr Somsak said.
When asked about criticism that Phalang Chon struck a political deal with the regime, he said the party would answer this question better than him.
Mr Paradorn lamented the fact that the parliamentary system was never allowed to run its course when problems arose, which deprived the public of the chance to learn about their representatives and they missteps they had made.
“Even if the voters went for the same old representatives, they had every right to. We don’t need a special method [to solve political problems]. A coup may look neat but it is just sweeping the problems under the carpet.”
However, he said there was no point feeling bitter when the coup could not be undone.
With the elections less than a year away, Mr Paradorn said the public should have learned by now how an elected government and a coup-affiliated administration worked.
Four years should be long enough for the public to be able to decide who to vote for when the election swings round, he added.