Don't get fooled again

The TRCT also recommended that the government avoid accelerating “efforts to rewrite the Constitution, and emphasised the need for public participation in any efforts to redraft that document” (Centre for Strategic and International Studies report). Yet she is bulldozing ahead with rewriting the Constitution, and refusing to exclude her brother by name from any amnesty, which would help allay widespread doubts. Not only has she refused to amend the lese majeste law, in explicit defiance of His Majesty’s clear wishes, the House speaker refused to allow the issue to be even debated. Yingluck has fooled you and I once on reconciliation.

That said, I agree with those who say the forum will be useful if it helps generate public awareness of the issues at stake and possible ways out of our tunnel, regardless of the reaction of politicians. The international figures who accept the invitations are not naive, and the education of voters is essential to a robust democracy.

To make the forum more useful, I would suggest that Yingluck be a key participant in the forum, and that she publicly commit to responding to the forum’s recommendations within two months, with a follow-up forum chaired by her, either accepting, modifying or rejecting each recommendation. If a given proposal is accepted or modified, she must commit to presenting a specific action plan. If she commits and fails to follow through, you, dear reader, have only yourself to blame for not seeking to improve matters, for that would make the second time that she’s fooled us on this key issue.

Burin Kantabutra

Bangkok