Another new party, another rally in Thailand

Oct 08, 2009
Source: — The Straits Times

BANGKOK, Oct 8 — The right-wing pressure group People’s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) yesterday flexed its muscles with a rally in the capital — a day after one of its principal ideologues was installed as the head of its new political party.

Some 5,000 PAD supporters dressed mostly in black, observed religious rituals and marched to mark the first anniversary of a police crackdown on the group’s protesters, in which one person was killed and several others injured. ?

“We regard those who died during our fight, and the many hundreds who lost their limbs and became blind, as our heroes,” said PAD ideologue Sondhi Limthongkul, who now heads the New Politics Party (NPP). He told the crowd: “We will not allow your fight to be wasted. We will keep on fighting to uphold our nation, the legality of the state and the constitutional monarchy.”

The PAD — claiming to be fighting to save the monarchy — has been a key player in the intra-elite power struggle that has pit the traditional urban elites against the rural masses, sowing deep divisions in Thai society since early 2006.

The Democrat Party, now in power at the head of an often fractious coalition, rode into government on the coat-tails of the PAD’s street protests which late last year all but paralysed the governments of former prime ministers Samak Sundaravej and Somchai Wongsawat.

The PAD initially lent conditional support to the Democrat Party. But recently the relationship has somewhat soured. Among other things, the right-wing group has renewed its activism over disputed land near the Preah Vihear temple on the Thai-Cambodian border, which has embarrassed the Democrat government and provoked Cambodia.

In May, Sondhi narrowly survived an assassination attempt. Analysts speculated that Sondhi, who earlier clearly had powerful unseen backers from among the old elites, was increasingly being considered a liability.

Sondhi, who turned against his one-time friend, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, in late 2005 and successfully campaigned to oust him, brings to the NPP a powerful propaganda machine in the shape of his Manager Media group, which includes the cable network ASTV.

Sondhi was elected head of the NPP in an uncontested internal poll two days ago. While the party may not win more than a handful of seats, analysts say it is capable of luring away part of the Democrat Party’s vote base in Bangkok.

An election remains at least nine months away, according to recent signals.

The intervening period will remain fractious. The ruling coalition is unlikely to split or be brought down by the opposition, but key amendments to the Constitution, deemed necessary before another election, have been tabled.

Among provisions to be amended is one that makes entire political parties liable for violations of the law by any single member of the executive committee of the party. This has weakened the political party system and led to the kind of chronic political instability that predated the 1997 Constitution abolished by the military when it ousted Thaksin in September 2006.

But the PAD, which prefers to see power in the hands of the old ruling elites, opposes amending the charter and has threatened to take to the streets to pressure the government.

The opposition Puea Thai party wants the 1997 Constitution — widely considered Thailand’s most democratic — to be reinstated with some amendments.

The ruling coalition plans to hold a national referendum on the amendments to the current Constitution which was drawn up in 2007 under the military regime.