Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2013 8:22:11 GMT 7
BURNING ISSUE
May be time for Democrats to stand on the front line
Attayuth Bootsripoom
Attayuth@nationgroup.com October 24, 2013 1:00 am
THE DEMOCRAT Party has been holding its "Reveal the Truth" rallies for a while now, but maybe the time has come for it to mobilise the masses to oust the government on the back of the questionable amnesty bill.
The latest amendment by the draft-vetting panel can clearly be seen as a way to whitewash cases faced by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, not to mention the fact that it also aims to grant amnesty to those behind the 2010 crackdown - namely then-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban.
Actually the Democrats have been getting ready to mobilise people for a while now. After the party's landslide defeat in 2011, Suthep stepped down from his post as secretary-general - not just to take responsibility for the defeat, but also to work on boosting mass support for the Democrats.
To do this, the Democrat Party has set up a political school, just like the red shirts did, and has been increasing its media presence by openly tying up with Blue Sky and T-News television stations. In addition, it has been regularly staging its "Reveal the Truth" rallies.
When the House is not in session, these rallies are taken to the provinces - both their own strongholds as well as areas dominated by the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The aim is to gain sympathy and broaden the one-sided view of the voters.
When the House is in session, these rallies return to Bangkok - also a Democrat stronghold.
Apart from gaining support on the ground level, the Democrats are also trying to build fences and repair broken alliances. Though the party may not want to accept it, the yellow shirts in the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were their staunch supporters for a long time. However, this friendship was broken when the Democrats took over the helm of the country - partly because of differing working styles and also because they chose to offer little help to the yellow shirts when it came to legal cases.
The Democrats treated the PAD like a group of strangers when they took their protest to Government House.
Now, the Democrats have been working really hard to rebuild their alliance, and it seems this effort is getting somewhere, as both sides have dropped their differences and are jointly focusing on one goal - ousting the government.
Though mass support can still be gathered, it is not as powerful as it was in the past when people came together to topple the Thai Rak Thai and People Power governments - especially now that this government has the wholehearted support of the red shirts.
This time, the Democrats' only hope hinges on emphasising this government's insincerity in helping the red shirts and its moves to push through an amnesty bill that will also extend to those who ordered the 2010 crackdown. If this amnesty law gets passed, some red-shirt supporters might become unhappy with the government, thus making the Democrats' job easier.
But maybe this is the time for the Democrats to prove their sincerity. Previously, they reluctantly participated in political fights outside the Parliament and were later seen enjoying benefits from other people's work.
Maybe it's time for the Democrats to stand in the front line and fight their own battles.
May be time for Democrats to stand on the front line
Attayuth Bootsripoom
Attayuth@nationgroup.com October 24, 2013 1:00 am
THE DEMOCRAT Party has been holding its "Reveal the Truth" rallies for a while now, but maybe the time has come for it to mobilise the masses to oust the government on the back of the questionable amnesty bill.
The latest amendment by the draft-vetting panel can clearly be seen as a way to whitewash cases faced by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, not to mention the fact that it also aims to grant amnesty to those behind the 2010 crackdown - namely then-PM Abhisit Vejjajiva and his deputy Suthep Thaugsuban.
Actually the Democrats have been getting ready to mobilise people for a while now. After the party's landslide defeat in 2011, Suthep stepped down from his post as secretary-general - not just to take responsibility for the defeat, but also to work on boosting mass support for the Democrats.
To do this, the Democrat Party has set up a political school, just like the red shirts did, and has been increasing its media presence by openly tying up with Blue Sky and T-News television stations. In addition, it has been regularly staging its "Reveal the Truth" rallies.
When the House is not in session, these rallies are taken to the provinces - both their own strongholds as well as areas dominated by the ruling Pheu Thai Party. The aim is to gain sympathy and broaden the one-sided view of the voters.
When the House is in session, these rallies return to Bangkok - also a Democrat stronghold.
Apart from gaining support on the ground level, the Democrats are also trying to build fences and repair broken alliances. Though the party may not want to accept it, the yellow shirts in the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) were their staunch supporters for a long time. However, this friendship was broken when the Democrats took over the helm of the country - partly because of differing working styles and also because they chose to offer little help to the yellow shirts when it came to legal cases.
The Democrats treated the PAD like a group of strangers when they took their protest to Government House.
Now, the Democrats have been working really hard to rebuild their alliance, and it seems this effort is getting somewhere, as both sides have dropped their differences and are jointly focusing on one goal - ousting the government.
Though mass support can still be gathered, it is not as powerful as it was in the past when people came together to topple the Thai Rak Thai and People Power governments - especially now that this government has the wholehearted support of the red shirts.
This time, the Democrats' only hope hinges on emphasising this government's insincerity in helping the red shirts and its moves to push through an amnesty bill that will also extend to those who ordered the 2010 crackdown. If this amnesty law gets passed, some red-shirt supporters might become unhappy with the government, thus making the Democrats' job easier.
But maybe this is the time for the Democrats to prove their sincerity. Previously, they reluctantly participated in political fights outside the Parliament and were later seen enjoying benefits from other people's work.
Maybe it's time for the Democrats to stand in the front line and fight their own battles.