Not enough belief in the government's sincerity

It was almost picture-perfect at Government House on Saturday. Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra inaugurated the new political-reform forum. She received cooperation from veteran politicians, current players, a former coup leader, legal experts and academics, who agreed to join hands to build a roadmap for the country in the coming decades. It was indeed inspiring public-relations work for the government. Everything looked just right – except for one big question: Can the reform council possibly succeed in coming up with concrete solutions?

There is no denying that Thailand needs political reform. However, the timing is not right. The administration should have planned more carefully and launched the initiative at a better time. The political atmosphere is not encouraging after a week of acrimonious battles in Parliament over charter amendments and the budget. And the night before the reform council met, rubber farmers clashed with police in the South while demanding guaranteed prices for their produce. Adding to the unpleasant backdrop is the ongoing anti-government protest in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park. There was also protest in front of the British Embassy against plans to have former prime minister Tony Blair address the reconciliation talks in Thailand. 

Yingluck is right that the reform effort requires the participation of all parties. Such an effort would bear no fruit without the people’s input. Thailand’s political problems are more aggravated and complicated than those of the early 1990s, when Thailand last went through upheaval. Citizens were pitted against military dictatorship, united in a fight for rights and freedom, which led to Thailand’s first “people’s charter”. Things are different now – the public is divided, while a vicious circle of corruption dominates our politics and further splits the country.

The government can claim some satisfaction in getting the support of veteran politician Banharn Silapa-archa, former House speaker Bhichai Rattakul, former coup-leader Sonthi Boonyaratglin and chair of the red-shirt Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship Thida Thavornsaet Tojirakarn. But there were no representatives from the opposition Democrats at Saturday’s event. 

Yingluck invited them but they refused to join, questioning the government’s sincerity in seeking genuine reform. The Democrats were slammed in reply for lacking the spirit to help the country. Regardless, it is the government’s obligation to involve them if it really wants reform. After all, the Democrats represent 12 million voters. 

The government’s reform agenda depends on the participation of the people, and especially those who are not government supporters. Their absence means the government can only put on a staged show. Of the 65 people invited to the first event, no one represented the opposition.

At present there seems little hope of getting these voices into the equation. We have common enemies in corruption, inequality and injustice, but, unlike in the 1990s, we can’t come together as one. Most people now define themselves according to “colour-coded” politics and fight the assigned battles. How can the government bridge such a gap? 

The reform council expects to have a roadmap within three months, but it will only carry weight if all voices have had a say in it.