by
gerrypopplestone | December 1, 2008 at 11:06 pm
233 views | 37 Recommendations |
6 comments
Thailand's Constitution Court has just decided that the People Power Party should be disbanded and that the current Prime Minister, Somchai Wongsawat, should be barred from politics for five years.
These decisions will come as no surprise: there were widely expected.
But the present government will probably argue that it can still function since it is an alliance of political parties. The news about Somchai is depressingly similar to what occured with the previous prime minister. It is hardly likely to change things very much.
Today's Bangkok Post cites an Abac poll over the weekend which found that 58% of those polled "cannot or will not take sides between the extremists leading the country into anarchy. And 92% said the judicial system can and should solve any problems".
The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD - the Yellows) at Suvarnabhumi Airport cheered as the news was announced. And the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD - the Reds) were furious. They have been demonstrating outside the Constitution Court in Pahurat, Bangkok all morning and will be holding a demonstration at four this afternoon in Sao Ching Cha where they demonstrated on Sunday.
The PAD may now get the opportunity (if the government falls) it wants to change the present constitution in line with its own preferences.
But the UDD will not take this lying down.
What happens next is anyone's guess.
If both the PAD and the UDD want to fight it out, then things could get very serious indeed.
What most people probably hope for is a coalition interim government to sort things out.
What no one wants is another military coup.
The King's birthday is on Friday. He usually gives a speech to the nation on the previous evening.
Some are hoping that he can save the country from self destructing.
We can but hope!
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 23:10 on December 1st, 2008
Good work Gerry - thanks for explaining this complicated situation so well.
It feels like history is repeating itself.
at 23:51 on December 1st, 2008
Thanks, Rachel.
It's even more complicated but lets keep it simple!
It strikes me how fragile deomcracy can be when there is a power vacuum and the extremiosts are struggling for supremacy; a bit like Germany in the Thirties! Bad things can happen very quickly. People may now press for for a "saviour" and who better than Thaksin!!
at 23:24 on December 1st, 2008
That is a strange turn of events. Good Post Gerry.
at 23:52 on December 1st, 2008
Thanks, Paschen. Watch this space: where do I enter the fray, to sort things out???? This time, I will need sten guns!
at 05:52 on December 2nd, 2008
More here http://myembarq.com/news/read.php?ps=3307&rip_id=0d9fecb3c1014d39cfe5f70518ac2df7&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS
at 07:03 on December 2nd, 2008
There always seems to be a price to pay for democracy.