Yingluck is playing her cards wisely
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Former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra deserves to be commended for warning the red shirts not to demonstrate in support of her as scheduled on Sunday.
Despite being elected premier in 2011 only because her elder brother wanted her to be his “clone” after he fled a corruption verdict in 2008, Yingluck has shown for the first time that she understands the situation in Thailand better than Thaksin.
Thaksin showed his lack of understanding when he pitted the rural poor against the urban middle class. It is the middle class who are the country’s breadwinners. Thaksin’s extravagant populist policies depleted much of the country’s tax money.
Thaksin’s hard-line political approach also incensed the military (who call themselves the King’s soldiers) along with Thais whose allegiance is to a constitutional monarchy.
As it is, Thaksin’s hard-line supporters have had to flee abroad because their actions are seen as an attempt to destabilise the country so that they can exploit it for their own gain.
Thaksin’s supporters should be aware of this two-tier situation among their ranks, and act wisely, as Yingluck has just done.
Vint Chavala
