Are you with me or against me?

It is credited to Jesus Christ. It was used by George Bush to capitalise on US patriotism to let him invade Iraq. It was used by Thaksin Shinawatra during his invasion of Bangkok and remains his mantra in Parliament today.

In a democracy the government is responsible collectively for its actions and is responsible for considering the needs of all of the population including minority groups. The government is backed by experts in ministries, chosen on merit and seniority, not for political favour. Every citizen is equal under the law.

The current Thai government is different. It feels it can place its favourites wherever it pleases in the ministries. The Ministry of Defence wrangle on the successor to the defence secretary shows this in action, highlighted only by the reluctance of the ministry to accept the minister’s choice.

Clearly the choice of minister is for the majority party, but some semblance of competence and common sense should be evident.

Take the minister of foreign affairs. His cousin, whose passport was cancelled but wants to travel around the world, has his passport returned and gets visas arranged to visit places that honest Thai citizens find it difficult to visit. The foreign minister claims he does not have the authority to pursue the ousted premier, but does he have the authority to assist a criminal on the run? Is he not aiding and abetting a felon? Why isn’t the Ministry of Justice pursuing the foreign minister? He is easy to find. 

How about the finance minister, king of the “porky pies” that make you feel good? The foreign minister who cannot interfere with the Justice Ministry will now explain that the finance minister meant what he said but he did not say what he meant, or something similar.

King John said, “All men are liars”, but King John was a man (not a finance minister in a capitalist society).

Richard Bowler

Bangkok