Cinderella and the non-stop-party government

So Cinderella, Yingluck Shinawatra, wants to spend the best of her time in the ballroom. She is the beautifully transformed socialite, faithful to her surreal role and unperturbed by all the glaring eyes. She smiles directly into the calamity of the Kingdom as if it were a nuisance to the party she is enjoying.

The worst flooding in half a century has cost the Kingdom Bt1.3 trillion. Yingluck announces this figure in the ballroom before the orchestra is to perform the Chao Phraya Waltz. Reaction is almost muted. What else can they say because our Cinderella has been elected by 15 million voters in the land?

By the way, from her lips, the cost of the damage from the floods has kept on rising. From more than Bt100 billion initially, the estimated cost of the damage has been raised to Bt300 to Bt400 billion and now Bt1.3 trillion. Munich Re, the world’s largest reinsurance firm, would be paying out 500 million euros from the insurance claims in this Kingdom. Swiss Re would also have to pay out 600 million euros. Reinsurance giants are reviewing their business in the Kingdom. And the death toll from the floods has now surpassed 600 lives.

Cinderella has been untouched by any political taint. At a recent no-confidence debate, the Democrats only singled out Justice Minister Pracha Phromnok to grill over the government’s failure to minimise the damage or protect the people from the floods. The Democrats must have been so charmed by her innocent look that they didn’t want to lay a finger on our Cinderella. The angel that turned Yingluck into Cinderella must have cast black magic on the Democrats so that they had to kneel before her.

Not long ago, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung created an uproar by pushing an amnesty decree into the Cabinet so that Cinderella could stage a homecoming party for her beloved brother, Thaksin Shinawatra. Chalerm backed off afterwards, after sensing disastrous consequences. He only wanted to test the water first. Again, Cinderella floated above this controversy by assuming an innocent face. “I had nothing to do with this. But everything must depend on the rule of law,” she said as a matter of fact.

Global leaders from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton to Ban Ki-moon showered praise on her inspirational campaign to capture the hearts and minds of the Thai populace. Yingluck’s star could not have shone brighter over the skies of this Kingdom. All are swayed by her do-nothing charms. With Clinton’s blessing, what is there left for Yingluck to fear but fear itself?

While the estimated cost from the flood damage keeps on rising and the death toll continues to be counted, Yingluck cruises her way through the “shock and awe” events unscathed. She is in charge, but she won’t issue any commands. She is the First Minister, but she will not take any blame. Only in a fairyland can Cinderella proceed to the ball while the people are picking up the pieces left over from the floods that have destroyed their homes and properties and jobs

The Seventh Cycle of His Majesty the King on December 5 should have been a time for jubilation and a grand celebration. As it has turned out, cases related to alleged violations of the lese majeste law have stolen all the headlines to spoil the celebration. “Uncle SMS” was sentenced to 20 years in prison late last month for violating the lese majeste law. Yesterday, a Thai-American was sentenced to two and a half years in a similar lese majeste case. These two cases were thrown to the pack of wolves. The foreign media, foreign governments and international organisations reacted in unison against the lese majeste law and the monarchy.

In the meantime, Cinderella continues to enjoy her party-all-day premiership. She only has to dress up nicely, wear a big smile, wave to her supporters and that is deemed good enough. The angel will handle the rest for her – with her black magic. The black magic will be cast so that the clock will never pass midnight.