There's no democracy without opposition

It started during the election campaign with the refusal of Pheu Thai’s leader to participate in a televised leaders’ debate. It was followed by the recent refusal of the new government to allocate airtime to the opposition leader. Jirayu Huangsap, a Pheu Thai MP, justified the move by saying that the previous government repeatedly denied his party access to state broadcast channels. It is simply not true.
As early as January 2009, then-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva announced that the government would allocate airtime on NBT Channel to the opposition leader. In doing so, he was just making good on his 2007 campaign pledge. He repeated his offer in July 2010 adding that the opposition leader would be granted as much time as the PM. However, during all that time, the opposition was so divided by internal disputes that they were having trouble naming an opposition leader. In the end, Yongyuth Wichaidit was chosen, but since he wasn’t an MP, he could not be the official opposition leader. In other words, the only reason the opposition was not granted airtime during Abhisit’s tenure as PM was its inability to name one of its MP as opposition leader.
Pheu Thai spokesman Prompong Nopparit went a step further this week, by announcing the existence of a nine-step plan to topple the government. Some of the steps appear rather far-fetched and totally unsubstantiated (Step 8: Launching physical attacks on core members of the red shirts, Pheu Thai and important persons in the government). Some other steps appear to be just examples of democracy in action (1: Using pro-opposition media to attack Pheu Thai policies). In a democracy, criticising government policies is one of the rights and duties of the opposition, the media as well as the general public.
What is even more worrying is that Prompong chooses to refer to Pheu Thai policies rather than to government policies. It might be time for Pheu Thai to realise that it does not form a one-party government. In the future, it might help to ensure that current coalition partners do not switch sides, as has happened in the past.
It is time for Pheu Thai to recognise the need for a strong and healthy opposition to the government. It is called democracy and is the best protection against any plan to topple the government using undemocratic means.
Candide
Bangkok