No honeymoon for Samak

Samak Sundaravej is about to become Thailand's 25th prime minister at a time when Thai politics has been switching back and forth from the absurd to the unnatural. From the outset, Samak was unsure himself that he could lead. He was about to retire from politics after being elected in 2006 as a senator from Bangkok. But the coup prevented the Senate from coming into being. He was then picked to head the People Power Party, the reincarnation of Thai Rak Thai. Ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra calls the shots in the PPP and Samak admits that he is a nominee for Thaksin. He yelled, "What's wrong with that?"

Yes, what's wrong with that?

We have witnessed so many absurdities in Thai politics that we have to accept what has been delivered to us. We either have to take it or leave it. We went to the polls to pick the best person to represent us as prime minister. But we have ended up with a nominee leader who may not run the country with his conscience but might have to dance to the tune of the former prime minister. If the premier cannot be himself, how can he run the country?

Business leaders have been disappointed with Samak's rise. He does not have experience in economic or international affairs, and the economic problems facing Thailand now are serious.

Since Samak lacks knowledge in these areas, we can only hope that he might put together a Cabinet that can get the economy back on track. Will we be able to rely on a capable economic team?

But the problem is that the coalition partners in this government-in-the-making do not go to Samak's residence to negotiate for Cabinet seats. They know that Samak does not hold any power at all. He is simply a puppet. They go instead to Hong Kong, where the former prime minister has set up his headquarters, to demand their share of power.

With this fiasco, we don't see any stability in the coalition government at all. If the coalition partners do not get what they want, they will pull out at any given time. The Samak government might have to turn a blind eye to corruption in order to keep the government going.

Earlier, business leaders warned about any attempt to appoint Surapong Suebwonglee, the PPP secretary-general, as finance minister. Like Samak, Surapong does not have experience in managing economic matters and the financial markets. The PPP has tried to send out a message that running the Finance Ministry is not a one-man show. Were Surapong to be appointed to the Finance portfolio, he would have to assemble a capable team to help him with the financial management.

Can we afford to have substitutes run the country? We have to bank on Samak's appointment of a capable Cabinet. We also have to bank on Surapong's appointment of a capable team of advisers. So where are all the real players?

The economic problems facing Thailand are very complicated. We can't afford to have puppets running the show and hope that somebody will serve as a devil's advocate all the time. Thailand is going through a difficult period, with the US recession, a burst in its housing industry and the financial turmoil.

The task of Samak and the new government is to restore confidence in Thailand's economic management. This means that the people running the show must have credibility and the ability to get things done. Second, the new government must focus on jump-starting the economy. With the global uncertainties, Thailand cannot rely on exports alone. It must devote energy to stimulating domestic demand.

To do this, the new government will need strong leadership. Some business leaders have already suggested that the government work with PTT and its subsidiaries to implement their investment programme worth more than Bt200 billion over the next five years. If only one-third of the investment programme of PTT and its subsidiaries can be implemented, this will quickly restore investor confidence. Samak can only implement this kind of programme through a strong political will and by preventing politicians from asking for tea money, which would delay or disrupt the investment. Samak and his new Cabinet team are in for a tough time. They will have to work hard from Day One. There will be no honeymoon period.

The Nation