Gaybutton Posted March 21, 2010 Posted March 21, 2010 The following appears in the BANGKOK POST: _____ Thaksin, Get Out! Published: 21/03/2010 The United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) needs to get rid of its figure-head. It needs to do away with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. People like Veera Musikapong, Weng Tojirakan and other nameless, faceless red shirts out there have been fighting for democracy since Thaksin Shinawatra was still selling cell phones and promising to solve Bangkok traffic in six months. Sure, Thaksin's money and connections go a long way in organising the movement. Certainly, he was elected by popular vote and wrongly ousted by a military coup. The man has legitimate complaints. But still, what Thaksin stands for _ his shady character and his salesman antics, his lack of principles and his hypocrisies _ can only prevent the ultimate goal of the UDD, which is to bring about a true democracy (or at least as close to it as possible) to Thailand. When Thaksin's henchmen (Jatu-porn Prompan and Nattawut Saikau) were preaching ridiculous, reactionary hellfire and brimstone, and other hardliners called for ''extreme measures'', Mr Veera should have been applauded for standing firm and insisting that this has to be a peaceful, non-violent movement. The motto ''the enemy of my enemy is my friend'' is fair enough, but those UDD who are genuine about democracy should be careful not to corrupt their principles for the sake of ''teamwork''. What sort of hold Thaksin has over the red movement, I'm not quite sure. A few elements of the UDD have expressed their disdain for Thaksin _ and yet, no one dares to break away and form a true movement for democracy. Is it about the money? Is it about the power? Has Thaksin somehow made them an offer they couldn't refuse? I know a thing or two about an offer one can't refuse. Last Tuesday I was offered the opportunity to go on the ''G-Force'' ride at the amusement park in the grounds of the old British Embassy. Now, I get motion sickness riding in cars, and many would say I'm too old for an amusement park ride. But the thought of doing otherwise never crossed my mind. If the offer had been to run naked across the Phan Fa Bridge with the face of Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva tattooed to my back, I would have said: ''Hold on, first let me call my mum to say my last goodbye.'' The reason I'm digressing here is, as much as others may not understand why I went for the ride, many others have expressed puzzlement as to why those genuinely fighting for a true democracy would hold Thaksin up as their figure head. The difference is, I know why I went for the ride, but perhaps the ''genuine'' red shirts do not realise why they should break away from Thaksin and his minions. So perhaps I should tell them why, after all, I've already accused the former prime minister with a few strong words in this article. So I should back them up, right? Is it wrong to accuse a former leader guilty of corruption of having a shady character? I'm not even talking about the asset seizure case. The 2008 Ratchada land scandal was rock solid, not to mention the guilty verdict was passed under the regime of Somchai Wongsawat, the then prime minister and brother-in-law to Thaksin. Is it wrong to insult his salesman antics? One doesn't have to buy votes, but is promising the entire country one million baht per village, cold hard cash, if you vote for the Thai Rak Thai party any different from putting up the sign ''Democracy for Sale?'' It might not have been illegal, but was it wrong? Is it wrong to point out that he lacks principles? The man claims to stand for democracy, yet his gross abuse of human rights led to the murder of more than 2,500 civilians. Not to mention his various attempts at repressing freedom of speech and expression. Is it not accurate to call him a hypocrite? The former prime minister keeps insisting that he's Thailand's Mahatma Gandhi, the Kingdom's Nelson Mandela. Now do I need to get into the details of how delusional, how ridiculous this is? Would either man leave their supporters to fend for themselves while living it up in beautiful Montenegro on the Adriatic Coast, or Dubai, or Berlin, or Phnom Penh or anywhere else? It's an insult, not only to the nations of India and South Africa, and every individual within the UDD movement, but also to the history of human civilisation itself. Thaksin Shinawatra is the red-shirt UDD movement. This will always be the truth until those ''genuine'' elements within the UDD movement wake up and realise they have been hoodwinked, hog-washed, that with Thaksin they'll never find real democracy, but it's autocracy that will smack them in the head. No doubt, the status quo, the oligarchic rule by the military and aristocratic elites of Thailand needs to be changed. But replacing them with the oligarchic rule of business elites will only lead to a dystopian vision of George Orwell's nightmare. If one understands Thai history and the current situation, one would realise that the old elites have an expiry date. Supporters of democracy will have a much better chance against them. But the new business elites, if they get a firm hold on power _ well, the likes of Mr Veera and Dr Weng may end up weeping: ''I should have known better.'' I don't know why the red shirts are hooked on Thaksin, but I do know that the offer of a true democracy, of human rights and opportunities, should be more than enough to tempt them away. And they'll end up the happier for it, just like I am with the G-force ride. Even if I was blaspheming against all the gods, pagans or otherwise, every time it did a 360-degree flip high above Bangkok's skyline. So, red-shirt UDD, let's wait before screaming: ''Abhisit, get out!'' Let's first yell: ''Thaksin, get out [of the UDD movement]!'' Or make him an offer he surely couldn't refuse: ''Thaksin, get out of Montenegro and join us in the streets. Risk the hardships and a prison term _ like Gandhi and Mandela did for their countries.'' Quote
Gaybutton Posted March 21, 2010 Author Posted March 21, 2010 Or make him an offer he surely couldn't refuse: ''Thaksin, get out of Montenegro and join us in the streets. Risk the hardships and a prison term _ like Gandhi and Mandela did for their countries.'' Whether you agree with the editorial or not, I don't think there would be much disagreement that whatever he is, Thaksin is no Gandhi or Mandela. Quote
Guest fountainhall Posted March 21, 2010 Posted March 21, 2010 Whether you agree with the editorial or not, I don't think there would be much disagreement that whatever he is, Thaksin is no Gandhi or Mandela Not at all! Both served time in prison under the government of the day for 'crimes' which many felt should not have been crimes. Both held their heads up high, maintained their principles and their dignity, and then helped lead their countries to independence through courage and personal example. The words 'courage', 'principle', 'dignity' and 'personal example' have no part in Thaksin's vocabulary. At the first sign of trouble, he ran like a scared rat. Had he returned to Thailand to serve his two-year sentence and lead his supporters from behind bars, I suspect he would now be virtually a messiah-like figure. Quote
