Democracy: a key theme in PM's speeches

There are certain key words in speeches that PM Yingluck Shinawatra has made on foreign and international stages: women, economy, infrastructure, water management and democracy.

Her very first speech at an international forum was on "Women as the Way Forward", which Thailand’s first female prime minister gave at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January. Then she delivered speeches to restore confidence in Thailand after the 2011 flood crisis.

Most of the 56 trips she has made in her 25 months as premier have been arranged to boost international relations as well as Thai trade and investment.

Along the way in Asia, Europe, America or in Africa, she supported the premise that Thailand is stable and has democratic politics, a good economic outlook and commitment to invest more in the transport infrastructure and water management.

Early last year, Yingluck emphasised that the Bt350-billion water management project to restore investors’ confidence in Thailand after the flood in 2011.

In many places later, she talked about plans for Bt2 trillion worth of infrastructure projects and promoted the Dawei deepsea port project in Myanmar as part of regional links.

When Yingluck delivered speeches about women’s rights and leadership, she always promoted the government’s Women Empowerment Fund.

At Ewha Women’s University in South Korea last March, Yingluck stressed the importance of female leadership going hand in hand with feminine characteristics such as softness and caring.

However, the speech that has been talked about most was delivered at the 7th Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies in Ulan Bator, Mongolia on April 29. That was because it was unlike previous speeches trying to promote a positive picture of Thailand to boost trade and investment. In this speech, she said Thailand had suffered a setback and lost international credibility after the military coup that overthrew her brother’s government in 2006. She said the crackdown on protesters in 2010 during the Abhisit Vejjajiva government left 91 people dead and that the current charter, which was a result of the coup, was still hindering the country from being a full democracy.

"However, the people pushed on, and finally the government had to call for an election, which they thought could be manipulated. In the end, the will of people cannot be denied. I was elected with an absolute majority," she said.

"But the story is not over. It is clear that elements of the anti-democratic regime still exist. The new Constitution, drafted under the coup leaders’ government, put in mechanisms to restrict democracy. A good example of this is that half of the Thai Senate is elected, but the other half is appointed by a small group of people. In addition, the so-called independent agencies have abused the power that should belong to the people, for the benefit of the few rather than to the society at large."

Critics were quick to hit back, saying she had given one-sided information and omitted to explain why her brother was overthrown and what the red shirts – her supporters – had done during the political turmoil in mid-2010.

In a following address in Sri Lanka, Yingluck called on Sri Lankan members of Parliament for cooperation. "Our two countries, with our experiences and lessons can contribute greatly to the advancement of democratic forces," she said.

At the 24th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva last month, the first Thai premier to address the council highlighted the problems of discrimination against women and children. And she did not forget to call for cooperation to uphold democratic principles.

Perhaps the most significant remark came in Mongolia: "Another important lesson we have learnt was that international friends matter. Pressure from countries who value democracy kept democratic forces in Thailand alive. Sanctions and non-recognition are essential mechanisms to stop anti-democratic regimes."

This is the last of a three-part series on the PM’s travels.