The Straits Times
BANGKOK, Dec 24 — In a rosy self-assessment of his government’s performance one year after taking office, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva (left) yesterday said the country had stabilised and prospered, and that “it would be a shame if just as we have made progress, instability and violence were to erupt again”.
He made his wide-ranging, televised CEO-style presentation, embellished with slides showing graphs and tables, to an audience of ministers, bureaucrats and the media at Government House.
He cited growing employment and improved tourism and export numbers as proof that economic stimulus and welfare measures had worked.
He added that unemployment — estimated at 700,000 when he took over, and predicted to reach one million — had been reduced to 400,000.
Time and again, despite an environment full of animosity due to political conflict, his government had proved it could make progress and deliver on policies that brought benefits to all Thais, he said.
He said his government had moved away from expensive populist measures to more rational policies.
He rejected accusations that the repeated imposition of the Internal Security Act to curb rallies by the red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) was a violation of human rights.
He said he was open to dissolving Parliament and calling an election, provided that all parties agreed on the ground rules, and that the economy was stable.
He said complaints under Thailand’s lese majeste law — which many believe is very harsh, applied indiscriminately and used as a political tool — would now be subject to a review by a committee to ensure it is applied “appropriately”.
Abhisit’s ‘report card’ speech came amid opinion polls showing lacklustre public approval of his government’s performance. But poll results also show that his personal credibility remains robust, and most respondents still favour him as Prime Minister. Storm clouds are gathering again, however. The UDD — which supports ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and is bent on forcing the government into an election that the Democrat Party would be hard pressed to win — is planning rallies in the capital next week.
And next month, a court verdict is expected on whether the state has legal grounds to seize around US$2 billion (RM6.87 billion) worth of cash belonging to Thaksin and his family, which was frozen by the military-appointed government in the wake of the September 2006 coup.
Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile abroad, is believed to be readying to up the ante by orchestrating street protests next month.
The opposition is likely to challenge Abhisit’s often fractious coalition in a debate in Parliament next month.
Some analysts have grown critical of the government for apparently fixating on Thaksin. There is still no sign of compromise between the warring camps.
The opposition, mentored by Thaksin, wants a return of the 1997 Constitution which was abolished by the military in 2007. The UDD wants a royal pardon for Thaksin. But Abhisit maintains that neither is possible.
He made his wide-ranging, televised CEO-style presentation, embellished with slides showing graphs and tables, to an audience of ministers, bureaucrats and the media at Government House.
He cited growing employment and improved tourism and export numbers as proof that economic stimulus and welfare measures had worked.
He added that unemployment — estimated at 700,000 when he took over, and predicted to reach one million — had been reduced to 400,000.
Time and again, despite an environment full of animosity due to political conflict, his government had proved it could make progress and deliver on policies that brought benefits to all Thais, he said.
He said his government had moved away from expensive populist measures to more rational policies.
He rejected accusations that the repeated imposition of the Internal Security Act to curb rallies by the red-shirted United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) was a violation of human rights.
He said he was open to dissolving Parliament and calling an election, provided that all parties agreed on the ground rules, and that the economy was stable.
He said complaints under Thailand’s lese majeste law — which many believe is very harsh, applied indiscriminately and used as a political tool — would now be subject to a review by a committee to ensure it is applied “appropriately”.
Abhisit’s ‘report card’ speech came amid opinion polls showing lacklustre public approval of his government’s performance. But poll results also show that his personal credibility remains robust, and most respondents still favour him as Prime Minister. Storm clouds are gathering again, however. The UDD — which supports ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and is bent on forcing the government into an election that the Democrat Party would be hard pressed to win — is planning rallies in the capital next week.
And next month, a court verdict is expected on whether the state has legal grounds to seize around US$2 billion (RM6.87 billion) worth of cash belonging to Thaksin and his family, which was frozen by the military-appointed government in the wake of the September 2006 coup.
Thaksin, who is in self-imposed exile abroad, is believed to be readying to up the ante by orchestrating street protests next month.
The opposition is likely to challenge Abhisit’s often fractious coalition in a debate in Parliament next month.
Some analysts have grown critical of the government for apparently fixating on Thaksin. There is still no sign of compromise between the warring camps.
The opposition, mentored by Thaksin, wants a return of the 1997 Constitution which was abolished by the military in 2007. The UDD wants a royal pardon for Thaksin. But Abhisit maintains that neither is possible.
1 comment:
Well, domestically, the performance of the Abhisit government may partially success in curbing the UDD and their protest in order to drop down against his administration that took for a year, but internationally, Abhisith administration has been and on-going completely failed to pass on the Joint Border Committee's reports regarding the border issue and demarcation with Cambodia, particularly around Preah Vihear Temple. Why Abhisit didn't bring it to the parliment house? And why Abhisit still keeping Siamese troops along the borders without any parliament endorsement? Why Adbhishit didn't think it is illegal by sending troops to invade Cambodia so?
It is absolutely showing the illegitimate action of Abhishit government and failure of dealing with the foreign country and the respect of Cambodia's sovereignty and other international laws and conventions...!
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