MISTRUST REMAINS HIGH in Thailand’s strife
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RECENT DEVELOPMENTS MAKE RECONCILIATION LOOK REMOTE
Both sides in the Thai political conflict have sent out signals that reconciliation is anything but imminent and the current peace is all but fragile. The military rulers are responsible for speculation that Thailand may have to remain a half-baked democracy despite an election that is due next year. Their rivals, the Shinawatras, are stepping up efforts to kill the draft charter in order to embarrass the existing regime and possibly trigger more upheaval.
The political impasse is unlikely to be unlocked under these circumstances, and the possibility of Thailand going back to square one is getting stronger with each passing day. To compound the situation is the trial of overthrown prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra in connection with the rice pledging scheme scandal.
Any kind of verdict could lead to unpredictable consequences, but the eventual outcome will remain that both camps in our divided land will continue to remain far apart. To many people, that’s an acceptable scenario, because they fear something worse might happen.
The Yingluck trial is not the only intriguing factor. The popularity of coup leader and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha remains remarkably high despite the drop in ratings for his Cabinet members. Simply put, leading figures of both sides still enjoy huge support from their followers. A major confrontation, therefore, may loom.
The draft charter is being portrayed in black and white. One side advertises it as a promising anti-corruption blueprint that can finally purify Thai politics.
The other side deems it a thinly-veiled attempt to protect political influence and interests of non-elected and autocratic military officials and their peers.
These clashing views will dictate the prelude to a referendum this year on the charter draft. Thoughts of what could happen before, during and after the vote are worrying, despite the mil
itary’s confidence that the situation is under control.
In addition to the controversial charter draft, which, critics say, does not properly empower elected officials while backing a contentious formula of powerful political appointees, mistrust seems to have been amplified by the latest comments from those in power.
“Reform” is an ongoing process, some say, and a certain kind of supervision may be necessary even after next year’s election.
These remarks won’t help. But neither will attitudes demonstrated by exiled Thaksin Shinawatra and his front-line supporters. It’s hard to say who is responsible for what. Some may say Thaksin’s belligerent ‘I-will-plot-my-way-back’ attitude is why the charter draft needs to be so stringent. The others can say that Thaksin has no choice but to cry foul because the charter draft is so harsh.
Mistrust, therefore, remains the biggest stumbling block. Today, nobody trusts anybody any more than a few years ago, when an “amnesty bill” proclaimed as reconciliatory wreaked havoc, or when the military seized power with a purported agenda to restore national harmony. Mistrust has brought the country to this unfavourable point and will continue to influence future developments. No matter how hard everyone tries to get the country back on track, mistrust can always step in and ruin key efforts.
On the one hand, it’s not easy to eradicate mistrust – just think of all the wars, religious ones included, it has spawned over generations. On the other hand, many of those wars happened because mistrust was left to linger and fester.
It’s every Thai’s responsibility to ensure that the nation can avert the slow-but-sure impact of unaddressed mistrust. By the same token, people who are fanning the flames should stand back and reconsider their actions.
