STREET WISE
Democrats still have much prove
The Economist greatly upset anti-Thaksin protesters when it recently expressed fears that the street demonstrations, which forced caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra into inactivity, would disrupt democratic development in Thailand.
The article attracted counter-arguments and four letters concerning the article were printed in this week's edition of The Nation.But if the protesters paid attention to this week's cover article of The Economist, they might have grown even more edgy. Though the main story is about US politics, there are so many similarities to Thai politics that the opposition could easily plunge into depression. Just when the protesters are trying to overthrow the "Thaksinomics" regime, they are thinking hard about who will guide the nation if Thaksin is completely out of the political picture. The Democrats? Indeed, Thai politics and US politics are alike. While Americans are fed up with President George Bush and his scandal-ridden Republican Party, few see a light at the end of the tunnel if the Democrats take over. "The Democrats still have a lot to prove," is how The Economist begins its article. Since 1974, the Republicans have won seven of the past 10 presidential elections. But Bush is the most unpopular Republican president since Richard Nixon. With two-thirds of Americans convinced that their country is heading in the wrong direction, the Democrats stand a good chance of regaining power. But if the Republicans reek of decay, "the Democrats ooze dysfunctionality: divided, beholden to interest-groups and without a coherent policy on anything that matters to America and the world". The magazine also went further to compare Republican incompetence and Democratic incoherence. The comparison fits Thai politics real well. I remember a recent cartoon in a Thai newspaper. In the first box, a man asked, "Are you confident in competing against Thai Rak Thai?" The other man said, "Sure, we are." In the second box, the second man added: "Whatever they said, we can argue against professionally." If the cartoon tells anything, it is the absence of policies that matter to the entire nation. For example, while the Democrats show concern about the impact of huge investments in the mass-transit network and the lack of a huge budget for rural people, it has proposed no alternative for easing Bangkok traffic. While on tour, Democrat leader Abhisit Vejjajiva lamented about Thaksinomics without elaborating what economic policies his party will lay out if the Democrats happen to lead the government again. The party has been pretty vague and rhetorical. It tells a lot why most of the poor are hooked to Thaksin's style of presenting difficult subjects in easy language. When the Democrats say trade liberalisation, Thaksin says free-trade agreements. Even laymen know what is more specific and understandable. The Democrats still have a lot to prove, if they are to wipe Thaksinomics from people's minds. achara_d@nationgroup.com
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