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HAND The choice of a new generation in
Thailand By Shawn W Crispin
BANGKOK - Democrat Party leader Abhisit
Vejjajiva says that he and his party represent a
"new generation" of political leadership, the
electoral choice to break with the bad old ways of
Thailand's often corrupt political past. The
question now looming over the country's December
23 democratic polls is whether the Thai electorate
believes that the 43-year-old career politician
who first entered politics in 1992 has finally
come of age to lead.
The Democrats,
Thailand's oldest political party, have not won a
democratic
election since 1993. The conservative party is, according
to some public opinion polls, once again lagging
behind their main People's Power Party (PPP) rival, the
new incarnation of former prime minister Thaksin
Shinawatra's recently disbanded Thai Rak Thai
(TRT) party, which trumped the Democrats at both
the 2001 and 2005 polls.
The populist TRT
successfully campaigned in 2001 on the notion that
the Democrat's neo-liberal policies and
technocratic tendencies often put foreign investor
interests above those of the grass roots
population. This election, the PPP is equating a
vote for the Democrats as a vote for the military
coup-makers that ousted Thaksin in a 2006 putsch.
Abhisit rejects that charge, saying that
he was among the first politicians to condemn the
coup, but does acknowledge that the Democrats have
in the past been outmaneuvered by TRT. This time,
however, it could be the Democrats’ turn for some
tricky electoral maneuvers, with some political
insiders predicting that the party has already
secured the allegiance of the two main
middle-sized parties - Chart Thai and Pua Pandin -
whose numbers will be crucial to forming the next
coalition government.
Two years into his
tenure as party leader, the Oxford-educated
Abhisit says that the Democrats have with an
infusion of new blood changed their old ways.
Abhisit himself fields questions from voters over
the Democrat's website, designed to appeal to the
20-something set. More importantly, he says the
party under his leadership is more grass
roots-focused, exemplified by the party's new
"People's Agenda" policy platform. At the same
time he takes issue with any notion that the
Democrats have taken their own populist turn just
to win votes, saying the Democrats' grass roots
policies, unlike their rivals, are designed in a
way that won't stretch the national finances.
Abhisit's campaign message has resonated
strongly with the foreign investment community, in
particular his pledge to roll back the capital
controls put in place last year by the outgoing
military-appointed government. He tells Asia Times
Online that a Democrat Party-led administration
would also consider a change at the top of the
Bank of Thailand, viewed by many investors as the
main motivator for the country's recent lurch
towards more protectionism.
Still, there
are lingering questions about whether Abhisit,
known for his eloquent and trenchant delivery in
the opposition during no-confidence debates, has
sufficient experience or stature to lead and hold
together a broad-based coalition government -
especially one comprised of competitive political
factions. Political infighting caused at least two
Thai governments to collapse during the 1990s, and
some political analysts are already predicting
that the next government - regardless if its led
by the Democrats or PPP - will not survive more
than two of its four-year mandate.
In a
wide-ranging interview with ATol's Southeast Asia
Editor Shawn W Crispin, Abhisit challenges those
predictions and explains how a Democrat-led
government would act to return Thailand to
political stability and fast and sustainable
economic growth. Interview excerpts follow:
ATol: With elections nearly
three weeks away, what is your prediction of the
polls result? How is your Democrat Party going to
fare?
Abhisit: It's going to
be a tight race. But we're confident when it comes
down to the choice on December 23 that the Thai
people will opt for moving the country forward,
moving the country beyond this old power-new power
conflict and electing a government that's honest,
that puts the people first, with a new generation
of leadership.
ATol: If the
Democrats don't win the most votes, as some
preliminary polls seem to indicate, are you
confident that the two key medium-sized parties -
Pua Pandin and Chat Thai - would opt to form a
coalition government with your party rather than
the PPP? Do you have assurances from those parties
for such an eventuality?
Abhisit: It's their choice.
It's their choice and they will have to decide
themselves.
ATol: In
essence, how would a Democrat-led government
differ from a PPP-led one?
Abhisit: One, we have our
priority set on the people's interest. We've been
busy over the last year talking about the issues
that really matter to the people - the economy,
high prices, the violence in the South and so on -
and not focused on this power struggle between
politicians and [the military].
Secondly,
we'll ensure there's an honest and truly
democratic government - so no conflict of
interests. And also a government that respects the
rights of all the people, invites the
participation of people, and a government that is
also in tune with the changes of the world.
ATol: Will a result where
the Democrats receive less votes than the PPP and
yet manage to form the next government lead to the
political stability many people, particularly in
the business community, are hoping these elections
will accomplish?
Abhisit: I
think what would ensure political stability is if
you had a government that respects the principles
of democracy and the rule of law. And we will
ensure that there is respect for those principles
and we will prove that through actions.
We've said we will not be like the
[Thaksin-led] government, which tried to shut
every single channel of opposition. We will allow
the opposition to use the media, we will respect
and attach importance to parliamentary debates, so
that political conflict does not spill out into
the streets. That's the best way to ensure
stability. And of course as far as government
stability is concerned, there's nothing better
than delivering on your pledges to solve the
country's problems ... and no scandals.
ATol: Some critical
commentators have questioned if you have the
experience and stature in Thai culture terms,
you're still in your early 40s, necessary to lead,
particularly a coalition government especially one
comprised of such disparate and potentially
fractious political interest groups. How would you
respond?
Abhisit: I get
older every day (laughs). Let me ask this back:
Are people satisfied with the old kind of
leadership that's been tested time and time again
and has led us into this crisis? Isn't it time
for
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