EDITORIAL
Is Thaksin losing his grip on power?
Haunted by 'conspiracies' at home, caretaker prime minister craves approval from foreign leaders
Judging from the hostile political environment that Thaksin Shinawatra has endured over the past several months as caretaker prime minister struggling to keep what is left of his credibility as a democratic leader, a healthy dose of paranoia would be understandable or even crucial for his self-preservation. But no one ever thought that Thaksin would be caught snitching to US President George W Bush and other world leaders claiming that a large section of the Thai population has been conspiring to overthrow his government through unconstitutional means. For a national leader who once prided himself on his tenacious CEO-style leadership, Thaksin's latest guffaw involving letters addressed to the leaders of the US, Japan, China, South Korea and members of Asean purportedly to explain the political situation in this country, was a work of desperation. By penning the letters, Thaksin exposed himself not only as paranoid and mentally stressed out but also as very emotionally needy and as someone who openly craves the approval of foreign leaders.In any society, snitching is generally considered fairly low behaviour. That Thaksin stooped to this level and embarrassed himself before international leaders has greatly compromised the dignity of his office. In so doing he has shown himself to be an immature, self-serving politician who has nothing but contempt for the democratic aspirations of the people. In his letter to the US president, Thaksin said: "There has been a threat to democracy in Thailand since early this year. Key democratic institutions, such as elections and the observance of Constitutional limitations on government, have been repeatedly undermined by interests that depend on creating chaos and mounting street demonstrations in Bangkok as a means to acquire political power that they cannot gain through winning elections. "Having failed to provoke violence and disorder, my opponents are now attempting various extra-Constitutional tactics to co-opt the will of the people. If our democratic institutions prove strong over the next several months, those too will be unsuccessful." What democratically elected leader would tell such a blatant lie about his own people to foreign leaders? Thailand's democracy has been undermined and democratic institutions weakened since Thaksin came to power in 2001. Once in power, Thaksin rolled back civil liberties, including press freedom, and rendered ineffective the state's checks-and-balances mechanisms through rigging of high-level appointments, to enable himself, his family and their cronies to advance their selfish interests at the expense of the public good. In addition to a string of corruption scandals under his watch, the families of the prime minister and his wife also got entangled in conflicts of interest that culminated in the sale of Shin Corp to Singapore's Temasek Holdings for a tax-free Bt73.2 billion. This lucrative, politically connected deal, which was made through complexly structured transactions to enrich Thaksin and his clan, was what sparked the public outrage that has galvanised the anti-Thaksin campaign. Thaksin tried to perpetuate his grip on absolute power by calling a snap election in an attempt at another comeback. But his sinister power grab was thwarted. Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party may have won an overwhelming landslide but the election was declared null and void. His party was found to have engaged in serious electoral fraud and the Constitution Court is expected to decide in the coming weeks whether it is guilty as charged and, if so, the punishment that is to be meted out against it and four other parties accused of lesser offences. In the meantime, Thailand has found itself stuck in a protracted political crisis that has the potential to escalate into violent confrontation as society becomes polarised along pro- and anti-Thaksin lines. In his letter to the US president, Thaksin asked rhetorically whether Thailand's "political governance" would be decided through the ballot box or in the street. The Thai people will let Thaksin know the answer to this question soon enough. Thailand's democracy and Thaksin's political future will be determined by the Thai people. It is a pitiful sight to see Thaksin openly crave the approval from abroad that he cannot get at home. There is no surer sign that a political leader is losing his grip. His judgement has been clouded and perhaps that's why he has been making a fool of himself.
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