Flood panels should incorporate reconciliation

And for a day or two, the proposed Thaksin Shinawatra pardon decree – considered in a confidential session by the Cabinet last Tuesday, in which Premier Yingluck Shinawatra was conspicuously absent – threatened to neutralise all previous efforts at reconciliation. It wasn’t until ousted former premier Thaksin delivered a handwritten note from Dubai declaring his intention “to sacrifice my personal happiness in favour of national reconciliation” on Sunday that a looming new political confrontation was averted.

This thinly veiled showdown between those for and against Thaksin can’t be allowed to continue indefinitely if we are to return to any normalcy and really make post-crisis Thailand work as any civilised nation should.

The Truth Commission for National Reconciliation under Dr Kanit na Nakorn has been working quietly behind the scenes to bring about better understanding among the various factions within Thai society. It has so far laid the foundation of trust. It needs to get the facts of the violent incidents in the past few years to the surface and, without pointing an accusing finger at any particular party, ensure that justice is done. It is also crucial that “transitional justice” is effectively implemented for the next reconciliation step to be taken.

I see a flicker of hope in the two flood-related committees appointed by Premier Yingluck to turn the natural disaster into a chance for national recovery and reconciliation.

The two committees are: the Strategic Committee for Reconstruction and Future Development (SCRF), headed by Dr Virabongsa Ramangkura; and the Strategic Committee for Water Resources Management (SCWRM), led by Dr Sumet Tantivejkul. The two panels comprise people of influence and reputation. They are supposed to be working on both the business of recovery and the tough task of planning for the future that will prevent this year’s major disaster from recurring.

But how can national reconstruction and future water resource management be taken seriously as “national strategies” that involve all segments of society, if the country continues to be plagued by political divisiveness? 

This could well be another rare window of opportunity for the two “wise men” to turn their non-political roles into a significant social contribution by reaching out to all groups of divergent political shades to get them to join in the national rebuilding effort.

There is little doubt that Yingluck is hoping that the appointment of the two eminent figures will strengthen the government’s anti-flood campaign but, more significantly, will also offer a major boost in political goodwill. Dr Virabongsa and Dr Sumet belong to no political factions and, as “experienced technocrats”, could indeed enhance the premier’s credibility at a critical juncture.

The two can thus make a highly significant contribution to national reconciliation by appointing subcommittees that comprise people from all walks of life, representing not only experts and business leaders but also the flood victims from various provinces, whose views towards the powers-that-be are as diverse as the red-yellow divide that has plagued the country for the past several years.

The two panels have been promised non-interference by the political authorities, and they are in a good position to bargain with a government that badly needs strong political props from non-political technocrats ready to risk their personal reputations by answering the “help me, please” calls from the premier.

If their mission isn’t confined to just helping the government get over the flood emergency, the two technocrats should seize this opportunity to assume the badly needed role of “national reconciler” by setting up broad-based working groups to brainstorm for ideas, to cement the efforts to rebuild Thai society in the post-crisis era.

It is sad but true: without a real natural crisis, the political divide may never be bridged. Left to the politicians, one political crisis has only led to another, without any hope of real reconciliation in sight.