Thailand: More required of PM Thaksin<\/p>\n
BANGKOK: On Sunday, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra made an
\nimpassioned plea to the media to stop portraying him as a lame-
\nduck leader so that he could attend the Fortune Global Forum 2001
\nin Hong Kong from today to Thursday as someone who appeared to be
\nin charge, who could credibly represent Thailand at such an
\nimportant international business meeting.<\/p>\n
That seems an odd thing for a politician to do, especially one
\nwho only a few brief months ago was swept into the highest
\npolitical office on the back of overwhelming popular support.
\nThat public support, whether well-placed or not, had been
\naccurately reflected by the media and contributed to the
\nlandslide victory of Thaksin's Thai Rak Thai Party, paving the
\nway for Thaksin's rise to power.<\/p>\n
It is therefore ludicrous for Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai
\nParty to be suggesting that there is now a conspiracy among the
\nopposition and some media organizations to bring down his
\ngovernment through a systematic negative campaign.<\/p>\n
He said that people in the country should concentrate on
\nhelping his government map out and implement a grand strategy to
\nbring Thailand out of the economic stagnation and proceed on
\ntrack to a sustainable recovery.<\/p>\n
Thaksin has become increasingly agitated by the public
\nattention and media scrutiny resulting from the continuing
\nConstitution Court proceedings against him for allegedly
\nconcealing billions of baht in shares and filing false asset
\nstatements while deputy prime minister more than three years ago.<\/p>\n
If the National Counter Corruption Commission's verdict
\nagainst Thaksin is upheld by the Constitution Court, he will be
\nbarred from public office for five years. Given new, compelling
\nevidence that has emerged during the Court proceedings so far, it
\nis all but impossible for the public not to be debating the issue
\nof leadership and personal integrity.<\/p>\n
As a country with a high degree of media freedom, the mass
\nmedia are supposed not only to reflect but also to take active
\npart in the public debate.<\/p>\n
This issue is of monumental importance to Thailand, therefore
\nit is disturbing to witness Thaksin's apparent confusion when he
\nhas on several occasions equated his political survival to the
\nnational interest. By any standard, such a claim can only be
\ninterpreted as extreme arrogance, if not self-delusion.<\/p>\n
He has begged the mass media not to attack him on \"small
\nissues\", by which he means his apparent underhand efforts to
\nevade the anti-graft agency's detection of a vast portion of his
\nassets and for being less than truthful in declaring his assets.<\/p>\n
This is tantamount to urging the mass media not to do the job
\nthey are supposed to do by turning a blind eye to the most
\nimportant issues of the day. By making public his hitherto well-
\nconcealed attitude toward the mass media, particularly the free
\nmedia over which he has no control, Thaksin is indicating that he
\nlacks one very important qualification of a good politician: the
\nopen-mindedness or ability to absorb fair criticism.<\/p>\n
Much more will be required of Thaksin, including personal
\nintegrity, a sense of conviction and the ability to deliver on
\npromises if his ambition is to become a workable political
\nleader.<\/p>\n
Thaksin and his spin-doctors have been promoting him as a non-
\npolitical politician, who has all the material wealth and
\nbusiness acumen to match, whose only goal in life is to make a
\npositive contribution to the betterment of the Thai people. His
\nenormous wealth is supposed to be a guarantee that he has no need
\nor inclination to cheat, while his business prowess can be put at
\nthe service of the Thai public.<\/p>\n
They will by now be realizing that his success as chief
\nexecutive of a hugely successful business empire does not readily
\ntransfer well to an attempt to govern a country. Thaksin must
\nbegin to deliver on his promises to stay marketable as a
\npolitician at home and abroad.<\/p>\n
Regarding the Hong Kong trip that Thaksin seems to have
\nattached so much importance to; the question is not whether the
\nforum is important enough for Thailand's credibility in the
\ninternational community.<\/p>\n
The question is whether Thaksin is big enough as a leader to
\nbe speaking for Thailand.<\/p>\n
-- The Nation\/Asia News Network<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thailand-more-required-of-pm-thaksin-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }