Democrats miss an opportunity to introduce reforms
A MEETING of Democrat Party executives held to debate reforms proposed by deputy party leader Alongkorn Ponlaboot was preceded by a big and dramatic overture, which saw Alongkorn become the first to detect his party's flaws and to concede a need to addres
He said it was futile to blame the election losses on vote-buying, because there were other factors involved.
The Democrats have been known for being good at talking and playing political games but lacking in tangible achievements. They are haunted by the criticism of being “all talk, no action”.
In terms of popularity, they have fallen way behind their chief rival, whether that party has been under the banner of Thai Rak Thai, People Power or Pheu Thai.
The Democrats act, however, as if they are not aware of their mistakes. As they are presently political underdogs, they have opted to rely on political games rather than a civilised fight.
They have been projecting an inappropriate image inside and outside of Parliament.
It is high time for them to reflect on past mistakes. Presently, the government has no achievements to boast about, but the main opposition party cannot undermine the coalition.
The opposition should think hard about why it has failed to capitalise on the administration’s blunders, such as rising prices, fuel costs, runaway petrol prices and a deficit generated by the rice-pledging scheme.
Other government shortcomings include the seemingly substandard performance of the prime minister and the first-car scheme, which failed to enlist the intended number of buyers.
The phenomenon of poor government and unpopular opposition seems to reflect the people’s despair.
The people are apparently losing hope in the Democrats. Although they are disappointed in the government, they appear to prefer the ruling party to the opposition.
The Democrats have no one but themselves to blame for failing to offer a viable alternative to the people.
Alongkorn has stepped forward to advance reform plans for his party. He has even threatened to quit the party if the reform process fails to take off.
In the end, Democrat executives have not taken a bold and decisive step toward reform. They can only agree on minimal change, and as a result are failing to decentralise the party.
The Democrat executive board remains under the control of party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva. A handful of key figures continue to take charge of the party’s Advisory Council.
The party leader has ended up being given more power to name his deputies.
The executive board adjourned its meeting as per usual, with no big changes on the horizon.
Alongkorn had no choice but to accept the party’s decision to keep the status quo.
The dawn of a Democrat transformation remains a far-fetched dream.
