Politics is a funny old game. It’s also a dirty old game, a corrupt old game, a nasty old game. It has been around for thousands of years in some form and will continue to be at the forefront of our lives for thousands of years to come. Politics will always be part of our national fabric because we will always need people to lead and govern our countries. In order to choose those leaders, elections are held and groups of people known as political parties fight for the right to be at the top of the tree, to be at the front of the queue. In countries that are run by dictators, elections don’t happen and one political party simply pushes everyone else out of the way and rules regardless of public opinion.
Thai politics is a weird and strange animal that never seems to get itself right. The Thai political system is a bizarre mix of ‘democracy’ and total and utter corruption. This has never been more evident in the last few months following the election of that country’s first elected female Prime Minister and the way in which she has handled that country’s flood crisis. Yingluck Shinawatra is the sister of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In essence, Thailand currently has a puppet government run by a leader in exile. You only need to take a quick look at any footage of Ms. Shinawatra, to know that she has not the faintest clue what the job of Prime Minister entails. Those that hate the Shinawatra family accuse it of being corrupt. I have always said that the entire Thai parliament is corrupt, in fact all positions of government power are dictated to by corruption. You need only visit Thailand for a brief holiday to see police taking small bribes and Thais getting favourable treatment over the farang or foreigner to know that corruption is part of the fabric of everyday Thai life. The Shinawatra’s are no more corrupt than anyone else. They just flaunt it more.
The 2006 sale of the Shinawatra family’s share of Shin Corporation to Temasek Holdings caused great controversy in Thailand. The sale was in response to long-standing criticisms that the Shinawatra family’s holdings created a conflict of interest for Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. Criticisms of the sale focused on the allegations by Thaksin and a compliant government that the transaction was exempt from capital gains tax (as per Revenue Department and Stock Exchange of Thailand regulations – later determined by Thai courts not to be legal), the fact that the Thai company was sold to a Singaporean company, and the fact that the Thai law regarding foreign investments in the telecom sector had been amended just prior to the sale (although the amendment had been proposed since 2001). Thaksin’s sale also impacted holdings, among other parties, of the Crown Property Bureau that has investment in the Siam Commercial Bankthat held ShinCorp stock.
On 23 January 2006, the Thai Telecommunication Act (2006) became effective, raising the limit on foreign holdings in telecom companies to 49%. The Act replaced the Telecom Business Law, which took effect in November 2001, and put the foreign investment cap at 25%. At the time, AIS was the only company that actually complied with this provision. Competitors DTAC and TA Orange were 40% owned by Norway’s Telenor and 49%-owned by France’s Orange. Although the law was not retroactive, DTAC and TA Orange criticized the government for discriminating against foreign investors and urged it to increase the cap.[1]
On Monday January 23, 2006, the Shinawatra-family sold its remaining 49.6% stake in Shin Corporation, a leading Thai telecommunications company, to two nominees of Temasek Holdings (Cedar Holdings and Aspen Holdings). The Shinawatra and Damapong (Thaksin’s wife’s maiden name) families netted about 73 billion baht (about $1.88 billion). Following Thai tax laws, they did not have to pay capital gains tax.
He blatantly picked up his corruption card and waved it in front of the face of every Thai. They accepted his corrupt nature, as Thais have learned to live with his and everybody else’s corruption in Thailand, but this was a slap in the face and simply brazen. The Thais had had enough. I remember the protests in Bangkok demanding Thaksin step down. I was on the Bangkok Skytrain one early evening and it was packed with protesters. Someone called out “Thaksin!” and the rest of the train in one voice yelled, “Ok Bai!” (get out!) Even though he was the democratically elected Prime Minister over 2 elections, he was too corrupt and needed to go. See what I mean about twisted democracy?
The Thai rural poor love the Shinawatra family because they buy them off. Simple as that. The now opposition Democrat Party never seem to be able to capture the hearts and minds of the people. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the former Prime Minister, was defeated soundly in the last election, even though he was quite a competent leader with strong economic credentials. The might of Thaksin, even from exile, was still enough to cause the poor to take up arms and take the country to the brink of civil war. Thaksin says he is a champion of the poor, even though he has more money than God. That money and that influence was enough to get his sister elected, which basically means he is Thailand’s Prime Minister, but in exile. Ms. Shinawatra has no clue, no political experience and thinks that having sat down with her brother over a bowl of Tom Yum soup and talking a bit of politics over the years is enough to qualify her for the top job. The recent flood crisis has proven that she is way out of her depth (pardon the pun) and is paddling up shit creek (the state of the Thai flood waters is not pretty) without a paddle. But I finish the way I have started. Politics is a nasty, dirty game. Thai politics is even worse. While these floods are killing hundreds and destroying what could essentially add up to the heart and soul of Thailand, Ms. Shinawatra just retouches her lipstick and says mindless rubbish like this:
“Please be confident in Thailand. We also have very good system in Bangkok. But Bangkok is the last destination to the ocean. That’s why now is the peak time, and worst time for Thailand. So hopefully, we will start to settle and get back to normal soon.”
Good God. If that’s the best she can do, Thailand will take a very long time to recover from this. But don’t worry, neither she nor her cronies will even get their toes wet.
Enjoy your day
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November 6, 2011
No Luck with Yingluck
Posted by damob under Politics, Social commentaryLeave a Comment
Politics is a funny old game. It’s also a dirty old game, a corrupt old game, a nasty old game. It has been around for thousands of years in some form and will continue to be at the forefront of our lives for thousands of years to come. Politics will always be part of our national fabric because we will always need people to lead and govern our countries. In order to choose those leaders, elections are held and groups of people known as political parties fight for the right to be at the top of the tree, to be at the front of the queue. In countries that are run by dictators, elections don’t happen and one political party simply pushes everyone else out of the way and rules regardless of public opinion.
Thai politics is a weird and strange animal that never seems to get itself right. The Thai political system is a bizarre mix of ‘democracy’ and total and utter corruption. This has never been more evident in the last few months following the election of that country’s first elected female Prime Minister and the way in which she has handled that country’s flood crisis. Yingluck Shinawatra is the sister of exiled former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. In essence, Thailand currently has a puppet government run by a leader in exile. You only need to take a quick look at any footage of Ms. Shinawatra, to know that she has not the faintest clue what the job of Prime Minister entails. Those that hate the Shinawatra family accuse it of being corrupt. I have always said that the entire Thai parliament is corrupt, in fact all positions of government power are dictated to by corruption. You need only visit Thailand for a brief holiday to see police taking small bribes and Thais getting favourable treatment over the farang or foreigner to know that corruption is part of the fabric of everyday Thai life. The Shinawatra’s are no more corrupt than anyone else. They just flaunt it more.
He blatantly picked up his corruption card and waved it in front of the face of every Thai. They accepted his corrupt nature, as Thais have learned to live with his and everybody else’s corruption in Thailand, but this was a slap in the face and simply brazen. The Thais had had enough. I remember the protests in Bangkok demanding Thaksin step down. I was on the Bangkok Skytrain one early evening and it was packed with protesters. Someone called out “Thaksin!” and the rest of the train in one voice yelled, “Ok Bai!” (get out!) Even though he was the democratically elected Prime Minister over 2 elections, he was too corrupt and needed to go. See what I mean about twisted democracy?
The Thai rural poor love the Shinawatra family because they buy them off. Simple as that. The now opposition Democrat Party never seem to be able to capture the hearts and minds of the people. Abhisit Vejjajiva, the former Prime Minister, was defeated soundly in the last election, even though he was quite a competent leader with strong economic credentials. The might of Thaksin, even from exile, was still enough to cause the poor to take up arms and take the country to the brink of civil war. Thaksin says he is a champion of the poor, even though he has more money than God. That money and that influence was enough to get his sister elected, which basically means he is Thailand’s Prime Minister, but in exile. Ms. Shinawatra has no clue, no political experience and thinks that having sat down with her brother over a bowl of Tom Yum soup and talking a bit of politics over the years is enough to qualify her for the top job. The recent flood crisis has proven that she is way out of her depth (pardon the pun) and is paddling up shit creek (the state of the Thai flood waters is not pretty) without a paddle. But I finish the way I have started. Politics is a nasty, dirty game. Thai politics is even worse. While these floods are killing hundreds and destroying what could essentially add up to the heart and soul of Thailand, Ms. Shinawatra just retouches her lipstick and says mindless rubbish like this:
“Please be confident in Thailand. We also have very good system in Bangkok. But Bangkok is the last destination to the ocean. That’s why now is the peak time, and worst time for Thailand. So hopefully, we will start to settle and get back to normal soon.”
Good God. If that’s the best she can do, Thailand will take a very long time to recover from this. But don’t worry, neither she nor her cronies will even get their toes wet.
Enjoy your day
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