Is Thaksin’s ‘Privileged Person’ Status A High Price In Return For Country’s Political Transformation?
From the minute Thaksin Shinawatra stepped foot on Thai soil on August 22nd 2023 not a day has gone by without him being in the news.
And the barrage of questions grew.
Is he in the hospital? Is he eligible to stay in the hospital for so long? Why is he in the hospital and not in jail? Is he actually ill? Why has his hair not been cut and why is he not in prisoner’s garb? Is he actually living outside in an apartment somewhere?
Now, with his release on bail after not having spent a day in prison, the question of “Why is he being given a ‘Privileged Person’ status” looms large.
The official answer by several officials while he was in hospital was that Thaksin was seriously unwell as stated by Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong and the confirmation by the Director-General of the Corrections Department that treatment outside of prison is within the law and a right given to prisoners who are genuinely ill as stated. The Justice Minister went further and praised Thaksin for returning home to reconcile the country even though he had to face legal consequences.
Recently the Corrections Department issued a statement confirming that Thaksin’s release on parole is within the confines of the law.
The unofficial answer though is based on speculations that there was a “secret deal” to bring Thaksin home without having to spend a single night in jail ( The day he landed he was whisked off to the Police General Hospital during the night) and now he is out on bail.
It’s inconceivable to think that Thaksin would have decided unilaterally to come back home and face the consequences without any “understanding” being negotiated beforehand or getting a very clear and vigorous nod from the old power base.
The ‘Big Question’ is “ Has it been worth it for the country?”
Thaksin’s return was and is a huge step and missing link ( till now) towards a ‘Political Transformation’ in Thailand that was much needed to end decades of color coded battle between differing ideological camps , which has led to incalculable losses for the country. The conflict plunged Thailand into what could be called “ lost decades” where the nation saw other Asean countries making strides economically while Thailand trailed behind, stumping its own ambition to move towards being a developed country.
The GDP itself is low and at the same time unrevealing as to the income inequality that exists and threatens to blow household debt out of control.
During two decades of political instability, Thailand has seen two coups, three Prime Ministers brought by down by court rulings and destabilizing color-coded street demonstrations.
Mobs of Thailand were a permanent feature and famous all across the globe, deterring foreign investments to the country.
After the 2023 Thai elections, there is no doubt that a ‘political transformation’ took place, engineered by involved powers and leaders on both sides of the red and yellow blocs, who seemingly came to the same conclusion that prolonging the conflict was simply not a sustainable option any longer, especially in the face of Move Forward party’s growing popularity.
The ‘reconciliation’ had to take place and it was done amidst much fanfare and entertainment for the public, through not so much a Lakorn(Thai drama) scenario but more a ‘reality show’ as Dr. Cholnan Srikaew drank mint-choc drinks with various parties of the old government and all the while listening to reasons of why they are unable to join the 8 party coalition with Move Forward Party as part of the coalition.
The offshoot of the ‘show’ hosted by Cholnan was a move towards a coalition between parties of the ‘democratic’ side (without Move Forward Party) and parties of the ‘pro-military’ side with Pheu Thai taking the lead.
So, is the country better off?
The ‘Political Transformation’ has succeeded in bringing Thailand back to ‘normality’ in the eyes of the world and the country can do away with qualifying democracy with such terms as ‘Thai Style’ democracy.
The current Prime Minister Sretha Thavisin is accepted internationally wherever he goes and is able to negotiate deals for Thailand’s benefit with various countries.
The dreaded divide of the country and political parties into ‘pro democracy’ and ‘pro military’ camps is now a faint line.
The Pheu Thai Alliance with the old pro-military parties looks solid and there is no hint of a break or crack in their union which means military coups may be a thing of the past.
Thailand can finally step proudly into the world arena and forge ahead economically.
In the end, if the bigger picture is that the country emerged the winner, the reaper of the benefits of the ‘Political Transformation’ then what does it matter if key players who brought it about benefited from some ‘deal’ or ‘understanding’? It’s also quite clear that it wasn’t a 100% win for either side and while there was ‘take’, there was also ’give’ through certain sacrifices from both sides so that a compromise can be reached.
And for all that, Thaksin deserves to be treated as a “Privileged Person”.
https://thaimoves.com
