Chuan criticises ex-PMs’ integrity, disregard for rule of law
MR SENI Pramoj, the late former prime minister and head of the Democrat Party, served as a good example of a leader who firmly adhered to the rule of law and good governance, said Chuan Leekpai, his former student and colleague.
Chuan, who is also a former Democrat leader and PM, yesterday blamed government leaders’ failure to comply with the rule of law for the country’s military coups in 2006 and 2014.
He said that although such leaders were elected democratically, they had opted to “stray from the democratic path” and violate the rule of law in dealing with certain problems.
Chuan said government leaders’ use of unlawful means to solve a problem often led to a bigger problem.
He pointed to a 2001 policy, while refraining from naming Thaksin Shinawatra, who was prime minister at the time, to tackle the insurgency in the deep South by condoning extrajudicial killings of suspected separatists. That policy, he said, led to the rise of the RKK militant Islamic insurgent group.
“That was an example of the failure to believe in the rule of law. They relied on democracy to bring them to power but after gaining power, they strayed away from the democratic principle,” Chuan said.
“Many people have asked me why I never experienced a coup while serving as prime minister. My answer was that I never created any condition” to be cited by prospective coup-makers, Chuan said.
He served as prime minister for two terms – from 1992 to 1995, and again between 1997 and 2001.
He said he had always adhered to Seni’s values of honesty and integrity, adding that he also passed on those principles to younger Democrat politicians.
Chuan was speaking yesterday during a special speech given at Thammasat University’s law faculty at the Tha Prachan campus marking the birthday of Seni, who was born on May 26, 1905.
A three-time prime minister, Seni died in July 1997.
Chuan, who studied law at Thammasat University while Seni was a lecturer on the faculty, told his audience that he remembered him as a teacher who never lost his energy when answering his students’ questions.
“He often stayed late after class to debate questions with the students. And he often stayed until the students no longer had questions to ask him. He was much loved by the students,” Chuan said as he recounted his experiences as Seni’s student.
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