Internal squabble weakens the hand of the authorities

Amid the smiles that greeted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra when she parachuted into Narathiwat for a one-day visit, a soldier on patrol lost his legs to a roadside explosive device planted by Malay-Muslim insurgents. The victim was reportedly part of the step-up in the security forces’ deployment for the premier’s visit to the restive region. 

Yingluck is trying to convince the public that she is serious about tackling the ongoing insurgency in Thailand’s three southernmost provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat.

The visit is also part of the ongoing game of bluff between the opposition Democrat Party and the ruling Pheu Thai Party. 

The Democrats, who have a lot of MPs from the South, have challenged Yingluck to visit the region and take command of the newly set-up operations centre herself. 

Yingluck has instead designated Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasriprapa to head the centre. But according to various sources, Yuthasak’s role will be symbolic and the Army-dominated Internal Security Operation Command will continue to have full control of its day-to-day operations. Moreover, the Southern Border Provinces Administration Centre will have to come under the directive of the Army. 

This arrangement is part of the horse-trading between the Pheu Thai and the military. The deal includes a promise from the military not to interfere with Pheu Thai-led secret negotiations with the separatist movement’s various leaders. 

Yuthasak recently confirmed that the government will be engaging in secret talks with the separatists, but insists it is not the same as formal negotiations. It is an open secret that the Army feels such dealings should be conducted by its own officials. But the change of heart suggests that the Army has realised that times have changed and security matters – specifically the peace process for the deep South – are no longer exclusively an area for the military brass.

At the heart of the manoeuvring by the opposition and the ruling party is the protocol for meetings between the two sides of the political divide. The government wants to show that it is open-minded enough to sit down with the opposition for the sake of the nation. The opposition, on the other hand, is not about to let Pheu Thai exploit the situation for political gain. 

So both ruling and opposition lawmakers have spent much of their time calling each others’ bluff about invitations for joint discussions on the deep South. Because the two sides couldn’t agree on the protocol and the arrangements for such meetings, the manoeuvring and mudslinging have continued.

Never mind that soldiers and police officers are being killed almost on a daily basis. The egos of politicians and senior military officers appear to be more important than the wellbeing of ordinary troops stationed in the restive region.

Yingluck has come to the South and met with security officials and local villagers who were trucked into Narathiwat municipality to greet Thailand’s first female premier. There were wais and laughs and smiles as she walked around hugging people and shaking hands. But let’s hope that the hospitality of the locals doesn’t prevent her from seeing and understanding the true nature of the conflict that, since January 2004, has claimed more than 5,000 lives, most of those Malay Muslim citizens. 

Like previous leaders, Yingluck continues to rely heavily on bureaucrats to push through her policy. What is lacking is creative thinking in the area of nation-state building, and that can be done only if Yingluck displays leadership and go beyond the normal bureaucratic approach, to a conflict that has consumed so many of our resources and taken far too many lives.