Red-shirt rift shows it's time to move beyond politics of personality

Lists of those affected include the movement’s co-leaders Jatuporn Promphan, Thida Tavornsaet Tojirakarn and Sombat Boonngam-anong – the Red Sunday group leader who personally launched a campaign to oppose the bill, of which Thaksin would be one of the beneficiaries.

 The vast majority of so-called progressive and intellectual reds have become disillusioned with the ruling Pheu Thai Party and Thaksin. They blame the ousted and fugitive former premier for this self-serving, grand-bargain attempt to have himself exonerated in exchange for granting blanket amnesty to those responsible for the almost 100 deaths during the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration’s crackdown on red-shirt protesters in 2010.

A majority of red shirts appear to be sticking with Thaksin, however, as they love him and his populist policies. A tiny group of reds led by Chulalongkorn University academic Suda Rankupan want the 26 remaining political prisoners to be freed as soon as possible as a priority, thus they’re supporting the bill.

 It’s still premature to assess how much a drop in popularity Thaksin and the Pheu Thai Party are suffering as a result. But the support for both the pro- and anti-blanket amnesty bill camps have reminded Thai society again just how divisive Thaksin is as a figure, and how Thai politics and society continue to revolve around Thaksin to the detriment of society itself, seven years after he was ousted.

 It’s more than apparent that the main issue driving the Democrat Party-led anti-amnesty bill protest is hatred and fear of Thaksin – while many reds who support the bill do it out of their love and sympathy for Thaksin. What isn’t really considered by these people is the rule of law and the issue of impunity. Because some believe Thaksin is bad, a coup is justified. And because others believe Thaksin is good, a blanket amnesty that will exonerate not just Thaksin but those responsible for the killings in 2010 is also justified.

 The politics of personality, of love and hatred of Thaksin, are pushing the Kingdom towards a new round of what could be a deadly confrontation or yet another coup.

 A society in which a majority of the people are trapped in the cycle of politics of personality has little or no prospect of becoming a truly just and democratic society. Somehow, many Thais prefer the politics of personality because it’s emotionally attractive – you can choose one side and throw aside all doubts and scrutiny of that side: you belong, and you enjoy the ride and sense of comradeship.

The past seven or eight years of Thai politics have shown that the situation is far more complex than that, however. Now that some red shirts are beginning to publicly acknowledge and denounce the dark side of Thaksin, let’s hope more can transcend politics or personality cults and move on to think about what is truly good for the future of this society.

 Politics is about negotiation, not about placing absolute trust in the hands of one politician or leader. Impunity and corruption will not end simply because you love or hate someone too much, but when you recognise the problem and see it as something beyond just one person.