Wall Street Journal: Thaksin Slipping...

[Nervous_Dog]

EGAT has a major problem in that they are hding a LOT of assets in their dark fibre, which is NOT being told about and is a very real and tangible asset, not just a asset, but a soon to be profit centre.

 

Sndhi is far from being a good guy, glad to see at last the Nation seeing him for what he is, a opportunist.

 

DOG

[..]

Gaddie, Scuba is one of the smartest people I have ever met in that his knowledge is extremely broad but still detailed about a great many things. I am glad he is posting again because I *never* fail to learn something from him! You will enjoy his insights, I am sure.

 

Cheers,

SD

[kamui]

I don't know if this is still wishful thinking of The Nation, but in this article the author is almost burying Mr. T. alive:

 

REGIONAL PERSPECTIVE: Farewell to the lame-duck prime minister

Published on December 05, 2005

 

By his own stupidity and arrogance, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has quickly turned his government, one marked by a great majority in Parliament, as reconfirmed in elections early this year, into one that now at year?s end has become better known for laughable governance.

 

In the past six months, he has undermined his own authority by messing up his own plans and policies.

 

His plans for bringing peace to the South have led to more violence, he has been humbled by the trimming of his much heralded mega-communications projects worth some US$41 billion (Bt1.7 trillion), and his plan to privatise the state-owned Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has been held up, to give just a few examples.

 

He will find himself the only lame-duck leader among the plethora of characters who will be turning up in Kuala Lumpur next week at the Asean summit. Other than Burmese Prime Minister So Winn, he may be the leader in the weakest position at the summit.

 

Very much to the chagrin of those who once supported him, Thaksin is in a downward spiral. His leadership is weakening, albeit gradually for now, and his reputation is becoming more and more tarnished. His economic ideas, big and small, will be ever more severely assaulted by all groups, including businesses and civil-society organisations. His voter appeal will crumble within the next few months. A bit of strategic thinking is needed to explain this deterioration.

 

First of all, much credit has already been given to Sondhi Limthongkul, founder of Manager Media Group, who has diligently assailed Thaksin for the past 10 weeks. In his past three major speeches, Sondhi has turned into a public whistle-blower, speaking the names of wrongdoers.

 

But Sondhi?s initial fire-power, which had been intensified by calling for a return of royal power, has finally fizzled out. Indeed, he went too far speaking of matters related to royal power and in suggesting the rewriting of the Constitution.

 

The growing crowds at his rallies, initially attracted by Sondhi?s speeches on royal power, have become hypercritical of Thaksin. To this audience largely of office workers and government officials, Sondhi has delivered messages in which he has called for the return of royal power and the purging of Thaksin.

 

Now that Privy Councillor General Surayud Chulanont has come out warning all parties concerned not to drag the King into this public debate, the public movement for royal power will now take a more discreet form. In a speech last night on the eve of his 78th birthday, HM King was sanguine in saying that even as a king, he can do wrong. Whoever points that out with good cause should not be thrown in jail. His comment was a slap in the face to the government?s hyprocricy on this issue.

 

From now on, after months of being discussed, the topic of royal power will be properly taken out of the realm of public debate and given renewed reverence. Conjecture on this topic does not belong in the forums being held at Lumpini Park. But further disclosures of Thaksin?s policy corruptions will continue.

 

It is not difficult to predict that future legal decisions, some of which have until now taken into account the interests and influence of the prime minister, will weaken Thaksin?s energies and ambitions.

 

This trend will inevitably continue as courts of law reassert their eminence and independence. Insiders are alluding more to the growing trend for public pressure to play a role in court decisions and talking of a strengthening of the rule of law. In retrospect, Thaksin also benefitted from this sentiment when he was acquitted by the constitution court overthe fradulent declaration of his assets in August 2001.

 

Only two days after saying that he would remain silent for a while, Thaksin couldn?t resist the temptation to speak and show that he was still very much in control of the situation. Somehow it was the Philippines, in its capacity as host of the Southeast Asian Games, that ended up on the receiving end of the first combative words that broke his silence.

 

He accused the country of caring more about winning medals than upholding the spirit of competition. His comments were uncalled for and created quite a commotion ahead of the Asean summit.

 

Before these comments, Thaksin learned of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo?s support for US President George W Bush?s desire to have the Burmese issue placed on the agenda of the UN Security Council (UNSC).

 

Last week the UNSC was asked to take up the issue, a move that had been spearheaded by the US. John Bolton, US envoy to the UN, had written to UNSC President Andrey I Denisov asking whether a senior-level UN official could formally brief the council on the situation in Burma.

 

The upcoming briefing on Burma will inevitably touch on the role of Thailand in boosting the military regime in Rangoon, which has links to the prime minister?s own business empire. In the past five years Thaksin has been acting as the spokesperson of Burma, calling for an end to sanctions and showing support for Rangoon in its seven-point road map to democracy.

 

The council?s upcoming briefing will give Thailand a black eye. It will further undermine his leadership role which he has carefully crafted with neighbouring countries and the wider Asia-Pacific region.

 

It will be difficult for Thaksin ever to regain the Midas touch he enjoyed during his first term. He can continue the same political marketing style and suggest further populist ideas aimed at wooing the rural people with promises of benefits and easy money. He can continue telling the still rather gullible urban middle class that he can give them what they want. But he won?t find success as he used to, and indeed continuing with such tactics may backfire and rub salt in the wounds he already has.

 

If the global economy continues to suffer because of the hike in oil prices, Thailand?s economy will slow down as well and may even get really bogged down. That would further diminish Thaksin?s power. On top of that, there are still 50 items in his agenda that require royal endorsement before they can be acted on.

 

Thaksin?s power is rapidly declining, and it is doing so because of his own malfeasance.

 

Kavi Chongkittavorn

 

The Nation