Again, the Democrat-led government is on the defensive. Ministers from the main ruling party have indeed just started educating people about what red-shirt folks, Phuea Thai Party and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra have been trying to do.
Their latest move surrounds a campaign to gather people's signatures for a petition that will seek a royal pardon for the fugitive Thaksin. The Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Holders of Political Positions has convicted Thaksin of corruption in the Ratchadaphisek-land deal case.
Criticism of Signature Campaign
The Democrat-led government is clearly on the defensive because so many groups and organizations have long come out to criticize the signature campaign. They have also expressed concerns that such petition campaign is clearly against the normal procedures for seeking royal clemency and it has interfered with His Majesty's royal power.
Many critics have loudly lamented that the signature campaign will only inflict greater divide in Thai society. Moreover, they believe that the red-shirt leaders and their mastermind want to use this signature campaign to incite Thaksin's supporters once more. Perhaps, the red-shirt folks will use the lack of progress in the petition process as a ground to begin a fresh round of political rallies.
Various organizations, academics, legal experts and political parties especially the Phum Chai Thai have shared these concerns.
Key Government Figures
So far, key government figures had kept silent. Prime Minister Aphisit Wetchachiwa, Suthep Thueaksuban, the Deputy Prime Minister overseeing security affairs, and PM's Office Minister Sathit Wongnongtoei, who oversees media, had acted as if nothing happened.
It is true that the government will not be able to bar people from signing the petition. People have the right to make their own decision and to join any signature campaign, if they want. Anyway, the government is expected to explain to people about the procedures involved. The government should have told people that the Criminal Code does not allow anyone other than Thaksin or his close relatives to submit a petition for royal pardon. By law, gathering one million signatures will not help Thaksin particularly if he has yet to start serving his term. He has never been jailed. If he is not in jail, the process to seek royal pardon can never legally start. Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat and two of Thaksin's younger sisters, Yinglak and Yaowaret Shinawatra, have already announced that they will not sign the petition. They insist that they are not involved in this campaign. Given this, the government should in fact inform people of whether they should join this signature campaign.
About this campaign, the government has indeed been so slow to react. Only after the red-shirt folks are about to conclude their campaign, the government has started some moves.
The belated moves also come after so many respected figures like Privy Councilor General Phichit Kunlawanit, senators and civic-organization leaders have already directly expressed concerns that the signature campaign will divide people in the society even further and that it will interfere with His Majesty's royal power.
Government’s Approach
Finally, the Democrat-led government has just started to do what it should have long done. Now, the government is preparing to use the state-owned TV station, Channel 11, to educate people about the right process to seek a royal pardon. On July 30, the government also instructed all heads of government units to make locals in their areas understand about how a royal petition can be sought under laws.
Anyway, at this juncture, many people can't help questioning why the government was so slow in reacting to such challenge. When will the government start working proactively? Will the government stop working like passive bureaucrats? With much publicity about the signature campaign to save Thaksin, the government should have realized long ago what it should do. At this juncture, the government is thus questioned as to why it is so slow about all political matters.
The signature campaign to seek royal pardon is a big issue. As the country's oldest political party, the Democrat is expected to take active role in defending the monarchy and educating people about what the right procedure to seek royal clemency is. Instead, it's the months-old political party like Phum Chai Thai that has spearheaded a nationwide campaign against the red-shirt folks' signature-gathering move. Indeed, the government figures from the Democrat are expected to be more alert and active in resolving the country's political divide.
Preventing Political Moves
The Democrat-led government should have learnt a lesson from its failure to prevent the Songkran bloodshed. Due to its wrong assessment of the red-shirt rallies that dragged on between March and early April, the situation then spiraled out of control over Songkran holidays. After such a lesson, the government should make a thorough analysis of all political moves so as to prevent them from causing many other adverse impacts.
At present, the government is rather late in reacting to the signature campaign by the red-shirt folks and Thaksin. Complaints from many people thus grow loud. Anyway, it is good that the government has now acted. Acting rather late is still better than doing nothing at all.
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