Bangkok Bomb - the Coup and the Road Ahead
As the newly ‘appointed’ prime minister, retired Army General Surayud Chulanont has assumed office in Thailand, the world is eagerly watching as to what lies ahead for the young Asian democracy. General Surayud replaces Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in absentia in a bloodless coup over charges of corruption, shady business deals and abuse of power. The coup, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and endorsed by the country's beloved monarch is the first in fifteen years and sets the clock back on evolution of democracy in a country that has a long history of military coups. The coup leaders, however, portray themselves as democracy-friendly, have pledged to return power to the people and say Thaksin's ouster was necessary to rid the country of the political uncertainties that had come to paralyse it since the beginning of this year.
Thaksin, a billionaire-business-tycoon-turned-politician, had a strong political mandate and enjoys immense popularity among the rural masses primarily due to his successful social welfare and health care schemes. Having won a landslide re-election in February 2005, he was forced to dissolve the Parliament only a year later in view of protest rallies triggered by the controversial sale of his family-owned telecom company to a group led by Singapore's Temasek Holdings. There has been no respite for the beleaguered ‘hero’ since then. The snap polls held in April this year were invalidated by the courts on grounds of electoral fraud. Although Thaksin's Thai Ruk Thai party was widely expected to win the fresh elections scheduled for October 15 owing to his rural support base, the political climate was increasingly getting divisive and it's in this context that the coup has been seen in Bangkok as a relief.
A major criticism against the ousted prime minister has been his approach in handling the sectarian violence in the restive south. The predominantly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala have been affected by insurgent movements for “independence”. Thaksin Shinawatra adopted a confrontational approach – to fight the insurgency by force and refused any talks with the local Muslim leaders on any kind of political settlement.
Gen. Sonthi, belongs to the Muslim community in Buddhist-majority Thailand and this puts on him a responsibility to bring his fellow-Muslims into Thailand's mainstream and to find a credible political settlement of the problem of "Muslim insurgency" acceptable to the country as a whole.
General Surayud Chulanont is a respected figure, known for his integrity. He has been chosen for his ability to work with all sections of society, to ensure that the political situation is stabilised. General Surayud has said he will focus on national reconciliation and people's happiness.
Going ahead, the interim Prime Minister faces the challenge of promoting reconciliation with Thaksin supporters and reaching out to democracy advocates, while keeping the support of the military. Putting Thailand's democracy back on track and strengthening of political institutions will be a daunting task for him. It needs to be seen how much independence he will have in dealing with the tasks ahead. On the economic front, General Surayud has said he puts healing social divisions before boosting economic growth and indicators of people's happiness are more important than GDP numbers. But he can ill-afford to ignore the realities and challenges of the global economy.
There are considerable powers in the hands of the coup leaders in terms of the interim arrangement now in force. General Sonthi will have the power to appoint or sack the government. He will also appoint the members of the People’s Assembly that will start work on a new constitution. It will be important for revival of democracy that the process of drafting the new constitution is transparent and representative.
As the newly ‘appointed’ prime minister, retired Army General Surayud Chulanont has assumed office in Thailand, the world is eagerly watching as to what lies ahead for the young Asian democracy. General Surayud replaces Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in absentia in a bloodless coup over charges of corruption, shady business deals and abuse of power. The coup, led by General Sonthi Boonyaratglin and endorsed by the country's beloved monarch is the first in fifteen years and sets the clock back on evolution of democracy in a country that has a long history of military coups. The coup leaders, however, portray themselves as democracy-friendly, have pledged to return power to the people and say Thaksin's ouster was necessary to rid the country of the political uncertainties that had come to paralyse it since the beginning of this year.
Thaksin, a billionaire-business-tycoon-turned-politician, had a strong political mandate and enjoys immense popularity among the rural masses primarily due to his successful social welfare and health care schemes. Having won a landslide re-election in February 2005, he was forced to dissolve the Parliament only a year later in view of protest rallies triggered by the controversial sale of his family-owned telecom company to a group led by Singapore's Temasek Holdings. There has been no respite for the beleaguered ‘hero’ since then. The snap polls held in April this year were invalidated by the courts on grounds of electoral fraud. Although Thaksin's Thai Ruk Thai party was widely expected to win the fresh elections scheduled for October 15 owing to his rural support base, the political climate was increasingly getting divisive and it's in this context that the coup has been seen in Bangkok as a relief.
A major criticism against the ousted prime minister has been his approach in handling the sectarian violence in the restive south. The predominantly Muslim provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala have been affected by insurgent movements for “independence”. Thaksin Shinawatra adopted a confrontational approach – to fight the insurgency by force and refused any talks with the local Muslim leaders on any kind of political settlement.
Gen. Sonthi, belongs to the Muslim community in Buddhist-majority Thailand and this puts on him a responsibility to bring his fellow-Muslims into Thailand's mainstream and to find a credible political settlement of the problem of "Muslim insurgency" acceptable to the country as a whole.
General Surayud Chulanont is a respected figure, known for his integrity. He has been chosen for his ability to work with all sections of society, to ensure that the political situation is stabilised. General Surayud has said he will focus on national reconciliation and people's happiness.
Going ahead, the interim Prime Minister faces the challenge of promoting reconciliation with Thaksin supporters and reaching out to democracy advocates, while keeping the support of the military. Putting Thailand's democracy back on track and strengthening of political institutions will be a daunting task for him. It needs to be seen how much independence he will have in dealing with the tasks ahead. On the economic front, General Surayud has said he puts healing social divisions before boosting economic growth and indicators of people's happiness are more important than GDP numbers. But he can ill-afford to ignore the realities and challenges of the global economy.
There are considerable powers in the hands of the coup leaders in terms of the interim arrangement now in force. General Sonthi will have the power to appoint or sack the government. He will also appoint the members of the People’s Assembly that will start work on a new constitution. It will be important for revival of democracy that the process of drafting the new constitution is transparent and representative.
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