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Published on December 24, 2007

It was neither. Based on these assumptions, they set out on a strategy that could have only benefited "Thaksinites" who had made a clear distinction on what they wanted.

At the same time, these parties sent out vague messages about how to deal with Thaksin, thereby causing confusion among the so-called "silent majority" who might otherwise have come out in full force to vote for candidates not loyal to Thaksin and his policies. And speaking of policies, each and every party, which contested this election, tried to adopt some, if not all, of Thaksin's populist schemes. That served as a strong reminder to other voters of how good their lives were during the Thaksin administration, even though this might have been illusory and temporary at best.

For the Democrat Party, there are plenty of lessons to be learned. This is the party that had the best chance of beating the nominee of the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai party, which was in disarray following its dissolution and the ban on the political activities of 111 of its executives. But somehow the Democrat leaders have managed to squander the general goodwill they enjoyed in the aftermath of the September 19, 2006 coup by producing stale policies that lacked both a clear vision and sufficient courage to tackle the real problem that is at the heart of our society: the populism and the popularity of Thaksin Shinawatra.

They also seemed to think that this election was about "politics as usual" when it was not. Complacency was the Democrats' order of the day, or so it seemed. The 15 months leading up to election day since the coup have been wasted by all concerned, especially those who connived in bringing down the old power clique and took over the administration thereafter and then did nothing. Now the final "bill checking" is just around the corner and they must be prepared to pay for the consequences of their actions, even if it may not come from their enemies.

For the PPP, the party's path is now clear as every one must play by the rules. But on the other hand the PPP, though its leaders have declared they won't seek vengeance, has promised nothing new that would make life better for the general populace.

Bringing back Thaksin and welcoming back the Thai Rak Thai's former 111 executives from the political wilderness is not going to do that. Nor is the continuation of the old populist policies associated with the old power clique, which have proved disastrous for the Thai economy in the past and will this time be catastrophic if they are not abandoned.

Now that the PPP is going to form the core of the new government, let us hear just this once what it can and will do for all the people and not just those who elected it. The economy is expected to be going through "real cremation" next year, and we the people would like to know what the PPP is going to do about it.

All in all, our national nightmare is not over by any stretch of the imagination. It will continue, and even deepen if the results of the election are not strictly observed and accepted by all parties concerned. Many self-appointed stargazers have predicted deep trouble after the election, but we can avoid that by adhering to democratic principles, even though this election was not about democracy. Defeat is normal in any election, democratic or not, but victory can certainly close the window of opportunity quickly and invite the spectre of permanent and irreconcilable conflicts if the victors believe it to be a personal one and fail to take into account the national interests that are at stake. Obviously, no one in the right frame of mind would like to see that happen.

Prachyadavi Tavedikul

Bangkok

Smaller parties may foil PPP's plans to lead

Life will be difficult for the People Power Party (PPP). There will be the military and the upper cliques and cliques from the Democrat Party and other minor parties that will try to make sure that the PPP will not be able to form the government.

And my words have come true, as there is now news that Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda has summoned leaders from the two smaller groups to his residence. Remember, there has never been a landslide in Thai elections, with the exception of Thai Rak Thai's landslide victory. Life will indeed be hard for Thailand and its people if there is a four-party coalition government, as it will be a government that is fragmented and unable to govern in solidarity.

In Thailand, small parties tend to switch allegiances and I wonder how long the four-party coalition would last before one of them switches allegiance to the PPP. Now that there is a landslide for the PPP, their allegiances do not matter much. But if they are really sincere towards the country and the people, they should join the PPP, not for their own benefit but for reconciliation and the benefit of the country and the people.

Steven

Bangkok

Size of parties' war chests determined the winner

I might be going out on a limb here, but my feelings, as a foreigner with an outside view, is that Thailand is not really ready for democracy. Many voters are not in touch with the bigger picture in politics, but will only consider voting for the party paying them the most, or the one that has (for them) populist promises. However hard they want to stamp out vote-buying, my whole Thai family without exception has been offered payment for their votes, even in my presence.

While the Thai Rak Thai was definitely voted in by the population, it was a population that had no idea what politics are about! So, as we saw today, the party with the greatest financial means and grass-roots support will always take the lead. This is not what I would consider democracy. Pretty much every educated Thai person is not happy with the situation, but voting-wise they simply have no power due to theirbeing in a minority. It's kind of scary seeing a party taking the lead and openly declaring that they will seek amnesty for the 111 banned Thai Rak Thai members, and will actively seek to bring Thaksin back.

Yorkie

Bangkok

Thai team made a strong showing at climate meet

Re: "Get serious about global warming", Editorial, December 20.

Your editorial on the recent UN Climate Change Summit in Bali mentioned that the Thai team should have been better prepared in the negotiations, and the Thai government should develop a coherent policy on global warming. I would like to dispute these assertions.

As leader of the Thai team, I made sure that we planned our message to the meeting carefully, holding team meetings both before we went and daily during the conference. As a result, the presentation from Thailand offered specific messages deemed suitable for our position as an advanced developing country.

These include an offer to be a hub for technology transfer and research to mitigate adverse effects of global warming on developing countries, an account on clean development mechanisms as already practised by the recently established Thailand Greenhouse Gas Organisation, a role for women in solving climate change problems, and potential benefits of drought-resistant rice developed by Thai scientists in reducing greenhouse gas emission from rice fields. Far from "parroting a textbook approach to climate change control and management" as accused by the author of the editorial, I gave an original speech, partly based on my address to the recent conference on "Asia's Challenges to Climate Change" organised by The Nation, to which I was invited as the keynote speaker.

As for the policy on global warming, I consider this as a main pillar of my short tenure as acting environment minister, incorporating information from studies launched by the Science and Technology Ministry as rationale for further action.

Thailand's strategies on global warming have already been given a warm appraisal by the UN secretary-general on his recent visit. We can all help to improve these strategies with fair and constructive criticisms.

Dr Yongyuth Yuthavong

Minister of Science and Technology, and Natural Resources and Environment

Bangkok