Look who's attacking the Shinawatras now
Play
Leftist Somsak Jeamteerasakul has landed another heavy blow on Thaksin
The accusation that Thaksin Shinawatra is himself an “elite” who is simply better than others at hiding behind the poor is not new. But what is surprising is that a hardcore leftist is now saying this. In his most stinging attack against the Shinawatras yet, Somsak Jeamteerasakul asserted that the clan is no different from those who the family’s members claim are hell-bent on destroying them. The sharp criticism is a blow as big as – if not bigger – than what Thaksin, speaking in South Korea, tried to land on those who “conspired” to remove his sister Yingluck Shinawatra from power.
To sum Somsak’s latest statement up, he said that while anti-Shinawatra sentiment among many groups was real, and their desire to undermine the clan was strong, only the Shinawatras could put away the Shinawatras. Gone were the days, Somsak said, when a small group of people could sit down and successfully plot to oust someone. Public opinion, according to Somsak, has played an increasingly bigger role in politics, and the Shinawatras should go beyond the conspiracy theory to review their own serious flaws when democracy is concerned.
Somsak noted that movements and plots against the Yingluck administration amounted to little before the controversial Amnesty Bill came along. That bill sought to provide a blanket political amnesty, meaning that while it would benefit Thaksin’s political rivals, it would whitewash him, too, Somsak said.
“There’s one thing that Thaksin and many of his supporters have tried to turn a blind eye to. That thing paved the way for the government to be overthrown. That thing is the blanket Amnesty Bill,” he said.
In addition to the “elite attitude”, the Shinawatras made a big mistake by condoning violence against anti-Yingluck protesters. Many innocent people were killed in attacks in addition to activists, who, despite their anti-government fervour, did not deserve to die, Somsak said. Condoning the violence was wrong both in strategic and humanitarian terms, he pointed out. Strategically, it opened the way for the military to step in, citing the government’s inability to stop Thais from killing other Thais. Why the violence raised humanitarian questions was obvious.
“Reflective of an elitist attitude, the Amnesty Bill demonstrated narrow-mindedness and intention to protect vested interests at all costs,” Somsak wrote on his Facebook page. The bill and related developments also underlined a flawed Thai democracy, in which “people are always ordered or obliged to do things that are obviously wrong.” He said: “We don’t need to be reminded how unanimous Pheu Thai lawmakers were in advocating the Amnesty Bill.”
This is Somsak’s second attack on the Shinawatras. After Yingluck’s impeachment by the military-installed legislature, he mocked Thaksin’s son, Panthongtae, after the latter urged his Facebook followers to stand up and fight. “Are you ready?” Somsak asked Panthongtae. The academic suggested the Shinawatras only want to “protect democracy” when events turned against them. “Where have you been since the coup?” he asked the young man.
Thaksin, speaking to reporters after joining an international economic conference in Seoul, was still sticking with his “conspiracy” theory. It’s obvious that the common ground he shares with those like Somsak is getting smaller. Of course, there are elements who dislike the Shinawatras. And those elements have resorted to controversial means to dislodge the clan from politics. To Somsak, at least, the common ground ends here. The clan is blaming everything on others, whereas the hardcore leftist academic is asking the family to take a good, hard look at itself.
