THAILAND
By Umesh Pandey*
Bangkok Post
28 Jan 2018
The military government has managed to break yet another promise as its proteges who go by the name of the National Legislative Assembly (NLA) last week passed a bill that could delay the long-promised general election by another 90 days.
The military’s handpicked 250 members of the rubber-stamp assembly poured their votes in favor of the delay, which has been criticized by all sectors of society since it was leaked that such a move was in play.
The NLA saw 196 of the proteges vote for the member of parliament bill that would take effect only 90 days after it was passed and published in the Royal Gazette, instead of immediately as has been the norm.
The NLA’s move was condemned by foreign diplomats in Thailand who felt that the military government was backpedaling on the promise by the coup leader, who has clearly stated on the record that the country would have elections by no later than November 2018.
This was not the first time. Since the coup on May 22, 2014, the same promise has been made, and broken, four times.
Soon after the 2014 coup, the then-army chief Prayut Chan-o-cha said that polls would be held the following year. Then 2015 came and in February of that year, while meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Tokyo, Gen Prayut said that polls would be held in 2016. To the Dear Leader’s surprise, time did not stop for him and somehow 2016 followed and in September of that year, at the United Nations General Assembly, Gen Prayut made yet another promise to the world: “On Aug 7, the Thai people endorsed the draft constitution through a referendum, leading to the enactment of relevant organic laws and a general election in 2017.”
As 2017 came, hopes of any fulfilment of the promise seemed ever-so remote, since the country was in a period of mourning, but by October of last year Gen Prayut was able to get facetime with US President Donald Trump. Part of the deal struck before the meeting happened was for Thailand to stick to the “democracy roadmap”. Amid the intense negotiations that went on behind the scene between the United States and Thailand prior to the October visit by Our Dear Leader to meet Mr Trump, the year 2018 was agreed upon as the year when a general election will be held.
Although sources say that the “Rolex General”, Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, had bitterly opposed holding elections in 2018, Gen Prayut went ahead and made the promise.
But four months after the prime minister clearly stated: “I will announce the election date in or around June 2018, and it will be organized by that November”, the military government seems to be getting cold feet.
One NLA member even went so far as to suggest that instead of waiting an additional three months, an election should be held 60 months — that is five years — from now. Pol Lt Col Phongchai Warachit suggested what was likely in many of the rubber stamp military handpicked legislator’s minds. Thankfully Mr Phongchai’s recommendation was not put to a vote.
With hindsight, it might have been better if the five-year timeframe was put to a vote, for this would have shown once and for all what the men in uniforms are thinking.
Some pro-military types are asking what difference it makes if the polls are delayed, but what these so-called “intelligent” people do not realize is that with every breaking of the same promise, Thailand’s standing in the world community goes down a few more notches.
The credibility of a nation and its leaders comes from what they promise to its people and to the wider world, and the extent to which they follow up on these commitments. Gen Prayut’s retreat from his various commitments serves only to erode the credibility that our forefathers and many statesmen have built over decades.
The junta should realize its popularity has been in decline for some time, with a failure to spread economic benefits evenly across the country, and its corruption-free ticket being tarnished by the scandal surrounding the Rolex General — a man whom Gen Prayut calls his “big brother”.
Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda recently told the junta that it was losing its popularity, and if these writings on various walls are not a signal enough, then one can only imagine the country may face yet another wave of protests, because the public can only take so many delays and broken promises before it bursts out on to the streets again.
*Umesh Pandey is editor with the Bangkok Post.
(First published in Bangkok Post – https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/1403206/broken-vows-test-patience-to-the-limit)
