Thai Tales

Last week I had the opportunity to chat with Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, who won a parliamentary mandate in mid December, after Thai courts dissolved the PPP party and brought a simultaneous end to the Somchai Wongsawat administration and the PAD occupation of both Bangkok airports.

The selection of Mr Abhisit was not done without old school political wrangling by various power brokers and heavy hitters on the Thai political scene, including the army. Newin Chidchob, a former Thaksin loyalist, swung his faction to Abhisit’s side and provided the crucial votes.

Abhisit is something of a poster boy here–His ascension, according to many analysts, marks the PAD’s ability to determine the political agenda for now and indeed several of his inner circle took part in the protests and airport occupation. Kasit Piromya, Thailand’s Foreign Minister, saying on the record that it was “good fun.” People in Bangkok I’ve spoken with are charmed by his looks and gentility–and his Eton/Oxford pedigree and others simply want him to do the best job he can, given the economic and political circumstances.

Others I’ve spoken to have told me that they have no problem with Abhisit as a person, but that he is not elected by the people and it is well known that Abhisit and his Democrat colleagues are considered outsiders by the rural majority, those who make up the bulk of the Thai electorate. They are the same people who will frankly say that Thaksin was the first politician who truly cared about the Thai poor and made their lives better.

Abhisit will have to face these voters and it will be interesting to see how they will react, given the fact that each time they have gone to the polls, a court verdict or a rolling tank voids their ballots. But for now, a calm prevails in Bangkok, with the young PM given a chance to govern, given that his two immediate predecessors were scarcely able to do so.

The reason for that being the PAD’s occupation of Government House which started in August of last year. It was the second time I had been there since the PAD had vacated the premises. The first time being the day Abhisit was voted in—I and my crew were denied entry by the guards even with our press cards for security reasons. I mused aloud how they could allow an illegal occupation of thousands for months of the PM’s office compound, but not let us in for a few shots, outside the gate of the actual grounds. Sometimes we sigh and say, “This is Thailand.” It helps for a few seconds.

We arrived early morning for the interview to allow ample time to set up and the beautiful Venetian inspired building glittered in the sun. The grounds were still barren of the lush green turf that used to be there, but most signs of the PAD occupation were gone as a stray dog nosed some trash that had blown across its path.

The interior was equally plush and beautiful and as I readied my questions for a young premier who has to grapple simultaneously with an economic meltdown and a protracted political crisis, I noticed a line of portraits on the wall of the Kingdom’s previous PMs. Abhisit’s was absent—-a testament to the fledging nature of his tenure, betraying the focus on the enormously importance issues at hand, rather than the niceties of the office.