Knives ready for the next session of Parliament

Parliament’s recess, which has been anything but a political reprieve, comes to an end this week. Anxious Thais are expecting their representatives to pick up where they left off. Opinion polls have shown how much the fights over charter amendment and “reconciliation” bills are dreaded, but while the Yingluck government is known to be ratings-sensitive, all the conflicts are certain to come to a head one more time. Bad politics will continue to dominate our lives, whether we like it or not. 

Under normal circumstances, the reopening of Parliament can help let off some political steam. Nowadays, parliamentary and street showdowns feed on each other. Bad blood now easily spills over from the House floor onto rally stages, and vice versa. And if that has been a cause for concern, it will be more so in the coming days and weeks, as the explosive issue of charter reform looms before us like a monstrous dead-end.

 

‘Conspiracy to prevent most popular party governing’

The recent Constitution Court ruling on the Pheu Thai Party’s attempt to enact a new charter and Thaksin Shinawatra’s latest media interview underline how far Thailand remains from achieving political reconciliation. The self-exiled former prime minister claimed that the court, in acting against the rule of separation of powers, was not promoting democracy.

The Constitution Court on July 13 said a referendum was needed before a new charter can be written. This has left the government-initiated attempt to create a new charter hanging in the balance. Thaksin, who told Singapore’s Channel NewsAsia that the ruling was evidence of “judicial overreach”, stopped short of making it sound like a call to arms. However, his political party and its allies will have to decide soon whether to defy the court when Parliament meets anew.

The Constitution Court’s ruling and Thaksin’s reaction reopened old political wounds. Thaksin renewed his charges that the court was part of a conspiracy to hinder democracy, claiming the political party that is most supported by the people was being denied a full mandate to rule. He told Channel NewsAsia that some elements in Thailand are getting para-

noid because “democracy has developed too far”. Such elements are the “root cause” of Thailand’s problems, according to Thaksin.

The pro-court camp feels that Thaksin too conveniently ignored corruption as another “root cause” of the country’s problems. This side sees the July 13 ruling as a legitimate attempt to prevent “democratic power” from being exercised to help a corrupt man.

 

Attacks on justice system hint at a new political climax

Both sides’ arguments are at the crux of Thailand’s divide. Nothing has changed on both ends of the polarity. True reconciliation can never be reached unless the yawning gap in political perspectives is bridged. And any proclaimed attempt at fence mending without addressing the “elite conspiracy” versus “corruption” dichotomy can easily backfire. 

Despite his claim that he was a victim of persecution, Thaksin insisted he still desired reconciliation and called for talks with his adversaries in order to bring back political peace. However, his latest salvo at Thailand’s independent bodies, the Constitution Court in particular, is unlikely to help the peace process, which is already moving very slowly. By attacking the country’s political justice system, Thaksin was inadvertently showing how far apart both camps are in finding common ground.

Thaksin told his interviewer his return to Thailand would depend on when reunification occurs. If he meant real reconciliation, that is unlikely to happen any time soon. This pessimistic prediction is drawn from his own latest outburst, which, this being Thailand, some will feel was justified but others will hold nothing but contempt for.

Parliament is moving toward a new session with everyone sharpening his knives. Democrat big guns Abhisit Vejjajiva and Suthep Thaugsuban face Army humiliation and impeachment respectively. Court cases are continuing against Jatuporn Promphan and other red-shirt leaders. As Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s first-year anniversary nears, so does, apparently, a new political climax.