Removal of Prime Minister Presents Potential Political Crisis in Thailand
By Lauren Crook
September 12, 2008 | Printer Friendly

The New York Times reports that on September 9, Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej was removed from his position after a conviction for receiving money for hosting a televised cooking show while in office. According to AFP, this movement by the courts was applauded by some, but others perceived it as the misapplication of a law that was created to “limit the influence of big business in politics,” not to punish someone for receiving the equivalent of a few hundred dollars for hosting a TV program. Nevertheless, this is not the first occasion in which the Thai, both lay citizens and members of political parties, have expressed dissatisfaction with and distrust of the reigning government.

Organized protests emerged in late 2005 when a group that called themselves the People’s Alliance for Democracy (P.A.D.) vocalized their criticism of then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s authoritarian model of governing, which provided needed support for the coup which removed him from his position. In May of this year, protests resumed, this time focusing on Samak and accusing him of “acting as a puppet for Thaksin,” according to Al Jazeera. In late August they increased their non-violent presence by barricading the grounds of the prime minister’s office.

Contrary to what their name implies, P.A.D. stands on the platform that Thailand is “not ready for democracy,” and is campaigning to have the governmental process of a people-elected parliament replaced by a “mostly appointed body in which power would run top-down, as it does in traditional Thai society.” Unlike Thaksin and Samak whose policy platforms included low-cost health care and debt forgiveness, P.A.D.’s urban, middle to upper class members aim to maintain or increase the socio-economic gap that is so prevalent in Thailand, therefore assuring their own financial and political status. P.A.D.’s power both in numbers and in influence has been steadily increasing and is bound to be a powerful force in this time of transition. They claim that even though they “used to chant the mantra of elections all the time,” their experiences in which “elections in Thailand [led] to a very shabby democracy” have made them desire for a their previous, traditionally hierarchical government.

The new prime minister was set to be chosen by Parliament on Friday, but AFP reported that the vote was postponed to give the ruling party time to find another candidate after Samak announced on Thursday that he was ending his bid for reelection. This move was embraced not only by P.A.D. protestors, but also by various members of Samak’s own party who were looking for “a less controversial figure” to dispel the upset that has been brewing. Although Samak’s decision was viewed as a step in the right direction by opposition movements such as P.A.D., the New York Times reported that they are still holding firm with their protests until a leader they deem appropriate is chosen, maintaining that they “would accept anyone as prime minister as long as he is not from the P.P.P.”

References:

AFP: Thai ruling party mulls candidates for PM

New York Times: Thai Crisis Shifts to Political Bargaining

Al-Jazeera: Thai Voters Vow to Press On

Al-Jazeera: Profiles: Thailand’s PAD

AFP: Samak ends bid to return as Thai PM after revolt

Bloomberg: Thailand's Ex-Prime Minister Samak Ends Bid to Return

New York Times: Thai Party Withdraws Backing for Prime Minister