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Published on September 11, 2007

Today at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, he will lead a group of political veterans to announce a new political bloc in the making.

Surakiart has emerged as a power broker amid the ongoing political realignment in the post-coup period.

He is one of the 111 executive members of the now defunct Thai Rak Thai Party who are banned from holding political offices for five years.

Yet Surakiart still holds clout as a mediator. It is not difficult to see that this new bloc is the "third force" that will tip the balance in the election.

Thai politics is now being divided into three groups - the Democrats and other former opposition parties; the People Power Party, which represents the remnants of the Thai Rak Thai, now led by Samak Sundaravej; and this new third force.

The military leadership will never allow the People Power Party to gain office.

But the dilemma is that the People Power Party still controls about 200 ex-MPs of Thai Rak Thai and will have the biggest chance of winning the most seats in the general election. To prevent People Power from forming the new government, other political groups are coming together as the third force will have to support the Democrats instead.

If the People Power Party assumes power, it will make a mockery of the military coup.

Surakiart's role in this entire affair is very tricky. It also marks a 180-degree change in his political standing.

From the outset, he was a Thaksin loyalist. Surakiart was rewarded with the job of foreign minister and served Thaksin quite loyally during the first term of Thaksin's reign.

In the second term in the Thaksin administration, Surakiart was moved upstairs to become deputy prime minister to give way to Kantathi Suphamongkol, a Thai Rak Thai founding member. But Thaksin gave him a pat on the back by promising to help him in his bid to become secretary-general of the United Nations. Surakiart campaigned busily in an expensive but fruitless bid for this high-profile post.

During the political crisis last year, while the People's Alliance for Democracy was held street demonstrations to oust Thaksin from office, there were repeated calls for Surakiart and other key Thai Rak Thai members to jump ship.

But Surakiart stuck to Thaksin until the last. He flew with Thaksin to Europe and the US ahead of the coup and was among the few who stayed around the ex-PM during the crisis.

On the evening of Sept 19, after General Sonthi Boonyaratglin led the Army to take over the country, Surakiart went on air with CNN to speak against the takeover. He called for other countries not to extend recognition to the military regime. Thaksin went on air later to try to challenge Sonthi. All believed they could fight the coup.

After the takeover was complete, Thaksin lost his job and flew to London and into exile. Surakiart slipped quietly back into Thailand. He then showed up at Army headquarters to report himself. He said he had received support from the military for his UN bid.

There were reports that Thaksin was angry after he learned Surakiart testified to the Assets Examination Committee against him on the Export-Import Bank's controversial loans to Burma.

Now Surakiart has popped up in the limelight again, acting as a power broker to prevent the return of a party linked to Thaksin. In politics, there are no permanent friends, or foes.

Political Desk

 The Nation