EDITORIAL
Crisis cries out for a creative response
Debate on how to achieve effective, honest leadership will determine the outcome of the current power struggle
The prospects are not good for the stand-off between Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his opponents being resolved at the negotiating table. The anti-Thaksin movement, now joined by the Democrat Party and its opposition allies, is demanding the Thai Rak Thai leader's unconditional resignation to pave the way for constitutional reforms under a politically neutral caretaker government prior to a general election, to be held at a later date. All doors to any possibility of a compromise were slammed shut when the opposition bloc decided to boycott the snap election scheduled for April 2 and a defiant Thaksin declared that his Thai Rak Thai Party would contest the nationwide poll with or without the participation of opposition parties. The election is widely seen as a ploy by Thaksin to reassert his hold on power despite blistering attacks by critics, who describe him as a morally bankrupt leader who lacks the legitimacy to rule.The anti-Thaksin protesters, comprised mainly of the politically powerful urban middle class, are planning the "biggest street protest ever" on Sunday with the aim of pressuring Thaksin to resign. Meanwhile, the beleaguered prime minister has announced a counter-protest by his supporters, most of them members of the rural masses, at Sanam Luang tomorrow. Thai society has never been so sharply polarised over the quality of a democratically installed leader. On the one side, the anti-Thaksin camp asserts that not only must he step down as caretaker prime minister, he must also abandon his plan to stand again on April 2. His opponents want an independent inquiry to look into the many alleged acts of corruption, conflicts of interest and other misdeeds committed since Thaksin became prime minister in early 2001. On the other side, Thaksin and his supporters insist that the premier has done nothing wrong and that the snap election should be seen as an opportunity for Thai voters to decide whether they still have confidence in his leadership. Thaksin says he is adhering to the parliamentary process and upholding rules prescribed by the Constitution. He accuses his political adversaries of causing disturbances and trying to use unconstitutional means to overthrow his "lawful" government. The political crisis has set the country on a dangerous course toward a potentially violent confrontation unless a viable political solution can be found. A viable political solution here means a way out that does not disrupt or which causes the least disruption to the parliamentary process under the country's constitutional monarchy. Such a solution must be based on careful cost-and-benefit analysis. It must be made clear from the outset that the use of military force to effect a change of government for whatever reason or the use of lethal force by the government to suppress peaceful demonstrations is unacceptable. Such a solution must also break for good the vicious circle of money politics that enables corrupt politicians to bankroll their way into Parliament, and then recoup their investment after gaining political power by engaging in corrupt practices, and then ploughing these ill-gotten proceeds back to buy votes in elections again, to perpetuate their grip on power. There has never been a doubt that Thaksin is an extraordinary leader, who gained political power through ingenious manipulation of the unprincipled wants and needs of Thai voters. His populist policies, combined with judicious use of his personal wealth - unparalleled among Thai politicians - to buy favour, has seen him amass vast political power. The extraordinary power of patronage has helped Thaksin achieve unprecedented political domination and allowed him to engage in a wide range of alleged acts of corruption, undermine watchdog agencies, intimidate critics, suppress media freedom, among other transgressions. Whether such extraordinary circumstances justify extraordinary measures - like temporary suspension of the constitutional process or a more creative interpretation of the Constitution - to break the deadlock and end this vicious political circle, will be subject to intense debate. Indeed debate is much needed, to shed light on the complex power struggle, the outcome of which will become apparent in the days and weeks ahead.
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