Suthep no reformer, but he stopped the rot

I have to agree with Eric Bahrt’s reading of Suthep Thaugsuban – but again, his letter requires balancing.

Without a doubt, Thaksin was the first Thai politician to help uplift the poor, especially when it came to providing social “safety nets”. But unfortunately he also enriched himself while governing Thailand. Meanwhile, former deputy prime minister Suthep and his Democrat Party have never contributed anything of substance on reform, despite the party being Thailand’s oldest, with a history dating back to 1946. 

However, Suthep stood up at the crucial time and triggered a movement that halted Thaksin in his tracks. Suthep might not be strong on reform, but “that buffoon”, as Mr Bahrt calls him, was the only Thai to stand up in November 2013 and shout “enough is enough”, paving the way for General Prayut Chan-o-cha to move in.

Incidentally, the five-month “shutdown” of Bangkok led by Suthep served Thailand in three ways – it flushed out all the hidden tricks of Thaksin’s camp, it gave a voice to the hitherto silent majority, and it repaired moral standards that had been battered. Give me a doer over a whiner any time!

Songdej Praditsmanont