Both sides at fault for lack of progress in 2012
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The debate on charter change and reconciliation remains inconclusive as 2012 draws to a close, and next year will likely see more of the same with a worrisome prospect of intensified conflict.
The ruling Pheu Thai and the opposition Democrat parties are equally at fault on two counts – for putting the country on the edge of a political cliff, and for refusing to work together on mending fences.
The fate of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is a bone of contention between the government and the opposition, sending ripple effects through the pro- and anti-Thaksin camps and the red and yellow shirts.
Unless all sides can agree to either confront and flush out the issues involving Thaksin, or to bury the hatchet, the country will see no end to the political animosity.
Since 2004, Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva has been crusading to pin the blame on Thaksin for all that has gone wrong in Thai politics.
Even though Abhisit may be correct, he has, unfortunately, let his assessment of Thaksin cloud his better judgement on what he can do to advance the country instead of getting stuck in turmoil.
In his latest war cry, he has called for a boycott of the referendum that is expected to precede the rewriting of the Constitution.
Before the government could even outline the details of its plan to seek the people’s consent to amend the charter, Abhisit rejected the idea out of hand, just because he suspected an ulterior motive to rescue Thaksin from his legal predicament.
The New Year holiday should allow time for Abhisit and his fellow Democrats to reflect and map out a sound strategy on the referendum vote.
In 2007 the red and yellow shirts cited different reasons for boycotting the charter draft. And their efforts were proven in vain. In contrast, the Democrats campaigned hard to put the country back on the path to democracy, and succeeded.
The participation of voters in Democrat strongholds proved crucial for the smooth power transition from the junta to an elected government.
If and when the referendum is held on charter change, the Democrats should emulate their own success story, instead of repeating the failure involving the red and yellow shirts.
Should the opposition lawmakers find charter change objectionable, they ought to try and defeat it rather than stage a boycott.
During the upcoming long holiday, the government too should reflect on what has gone wrong in its efforts to improve on the political system and bring about national reconciliation.
Throughout the year, the government completely failed to make headway in pacifying its opponents. The persistence of the political rough patch can be attributed to the suspicion that charter change and reconciliation are pretexts to pave the way for granting amnesty for Thaksin to return home
As the government is preparing to hold the referendum around the middle of next year, tensions will likely increase if there is no effective way to dispel doubts on Thaksin as the main beneficiary of charter change.
Instead of deflecting whatever problems are hurled her way, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra should find a way to engage Abhisit in an open-hearted dialogue designed to move beyond Thaksin and move the country forward.
