‘I want to create a better future for our country’: Rangsiman
Student activist Rangsiman Rome, a key leader of the newly formed movement “People Who Want to Vote”, has earned fame as a staunch critic of the junta.
The 25-year-old first came under the media spotlight when he led a “sandwich-eating protest” against military rule a month after the May 2014 coup. His involvement in protests has led to seven legal cases against him, with charges including instigating disturbances. Rangsiman talks to The Nation’s Somroutai Sapsomboon about his group’s campaign for an election and his plans for the future.
HAVE YOU FELT DISHEARTENED FACING LEGAL CASES FOR WHAT YOU ARE DOING?
Certainly, I am only human. Those cases are not usual for someone who is 25 years old. But I have never thought of giving up my fight. I believe time is on my side – I am still young. I may not win today but I must win in the future. That’s when the NCPO [National Council for Peace and Order] loses its power and the country returns to democracy. Thailand will have to go back to the international democratic system some day.
YOUR GROUP PLANS A FOUR-DAY DEMONSTRATION FROM MAY 19-22, ON THE FOURTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE COUP.
Our main goals are for the election date to be clearly announced – it must be in November, as the prime minister had said. And the NCPO must promise the people they will make no attempt to return to power after the election.
DOES THAT ALSO MEAN NCPO CHIEF PRAYUT CHAN-O-CHA MUST NOT COME BACK AS PRIME MINISTER?
It’s okay if General Prayut returns to power through the usual process. But the NCPO’s organs must not be used in an effort to give him an advantage over competitors.
YOUR GROUP IS DESCRIBED AS STAGING PROTESTS TOO REGULARLY.
That’s an attempt to discredit us. People should focus on the essence of what I say. If it’s useful to the country, you should heed it. People with good intentions towards the country must not be discredited. Thai society should look into the essence of what is said, rather than who says it or the political preference or position of that person.
IT IS ALLEGED THAT YOUR GROUP IS FUNDED WITH POLITICAL PURPOSES.
The NCPO has investigated us for almost four years and they have found nothing. If they did find something, they would not let us walk free. I see that allegation as an attempt to discredit us.
I have no connections with the red shirts. But I have something to do with the yellow shirts. Some people in my family supported the People’s Democratic Reform Committee and they joined the rally organised by the People’s Alliance for Democracy.
My family members dislike Thaksin Shinawatra and they certainly will not vote for Pheu Thai Party. Yet their support for the NCPO has reduced, although they see no other choices than General Prayut or the NCPO. A lack of choices is a problem. It’s like we get out of the frying pan into the fire.
PEOPLE ARE AFRAID OF STREET PROTESTS THAT ARE VIEWED AS PREVENTING THE COUNTRY FROM MOVING FORWARD.
I understand those who have that feeling. But the question is whether any other method exists to make our country get back to democracy. What kind of future could we expect from the existing system? I don’t want to do it this way but there is no other means to force the NCPO to keep their promise given to the people. So we have to take to the streets.
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN FOR THE FUTURE?
I have to complete my postgraduate studies within four years. I want to be a university lecturer. But today I have to do my duty as a Thai citizen. If an election is held today, I can get back to do what I want to. I come from a middle-class family [in Phuket] and society has given me opportunities. So I want to pay back. Being a lecturer teaching younger people and making them a key force in the country’s development should be a good thing to do.
ARE YOU INTERESTED IN ENTERING POLITICS?
I have no passion in that field. There must be other people who can do it better than me. My family already is not happy with me becoming a political activist and having problems with the law. I have disappointed my family, but my family cannot take care of me forever. I have to take care of myself while staying in this country so I want to create a better future for our country.
