Next PM?

[venus]

Looking through the cabinet line up it doesnt look as though there is one credible minister. It doesnt even look like they are going to get a professional finance minister (assuming one would agree to join). Its a bit of a joke.

the problem is noone feels that this government will last that long...

so, noone wants to risk their career and life being a fm for this (unreal) government.

come to think of it - after taking the position - you are not allowed to be involved in any finance positions for 2 years - and your family and close relatives cant be involved in kind of finance-related which the fm position would benefit them ...

a short life career with no much of option for the rest of your future... , not an interesting job obviously.

[venus]

These are what I think about the Dems and they also apply to Mr. Aphisit's political position:

1. "Asking H.M. to appoint P.M." is a symptom of immaturity syndrome.

It is like the child who runs and asks for parents' s help when one is going to lose the game.

2. Knowing that one side will lose in the election, so let's boycott it!

It is like a child knowing that it will lose, so just refuse to participate in playing.

Again, immaturity.

3. Fault-finding the elected government in every possible aspects; but feels comfortable with coupmakers' grand corruptions.

4. flip-flop political ideology (or not having any) : Attacking PPP's social policies harshly ( 30 baht's Health Care and the village funds) for years; but later plagiarizing them as if they believe them to hearts!

Moreover, people can not believe that Dems believes in these policies. The Dems might just say afterwards : oh...our country has no money enough so we have to the budgets.

reading daunja's post - it reflects how thai people think about democrats...

just like i said many times before that - k. aphisit needs to be tougher... he needs to do whatever it takes to correct what people see in his party and himself...

"lack of trust & admiration" from thai people - obviously.

(of course, people in bangkok seem to like and admire them - but has it ever crossed anyone's mind that its maybe its not really that they do like them so much - its simply that they just dont have much choice or better choice??)

[venus]

but hey, don't let facts get in the way

democrats need a good pr - who is capable ofl giving (majority of) thai people the better understanding about their policies.

what do you expect, loburt ?

seems to me that if thai people dont really get the compete facts - its not totally their fault...

[venus]

I am deeply uninspired by the new government (as I guess are most people) but they have at least been elected through the democratic process. And I will take a crappy elected government over a military junta (even a relatively benign one) any day. I guess I will have to wish them well..

exactly - its time to move on - thai people(obviously) have their own pace to learn to value the good & clean government & to understand the real democracy.

this goverment is obviously coming from the poor - and obviously that middle-class and upp-class people disapprove them.

but at the end - we are one country - we need to learn to walk together & to grow strongly together as one country - with respect, unity & civilisation... in order to have that first we need a government who comes from the democratic process.

[venus]

I am deeply uninspired by the new government (as I guess are most people)

.. dont you worry....

they wont last too long. :roll:

not that anyone will do something to them - they will turn against each other - justa a matter of time which seems to be very short.

(obvious that they dont like each other too much.... "lack of unity" takes you to nowhere.... really.)

if you saw them at the sukhothai hotel yesterday...

- k. samak managed to nag k. suwit - his mouth is obviously destructive and its his mouth that will bring him down.

- k. banharn didn't show up... isn't that a sign of not being totally agreed.

- the press dislikes them obviously, especially k. samak - its not smart being one thats hated by the press as it never takes you any too far - see k. taksin's case)

- the fact that k. wattana and k. samka hate each other to bits - they hardly look at each other.

[venus]

of course, mr. samak is very mature, so maturity is obviously an important qualification for PM

loburt,

thai people dont love him... and you know that... he is becoming our new pm because he is elected and he comes through the democratic process..

dont you be too frustrated...:roll:

.... imagine being a pm thats disliked by people from almost the entire country ?

.. its not going to be a good walk in the park...

how hard its for him to work and to remain in the position for too long... he will be closely watched and everything he did will be criticised in a hardest way.... as there are no love & no merci (it must be very smothered for him... really)

being his age - i wonder how long he can really handle the pressure from the anit-samak wave thats coming his way...

[Loburt]

(estimates are that 30% of the $4 billion spent to build the airport when to corruption)

I dont doubt this number. But are we supposed to be shocked by it? Would it have been any different under Banharn or Chavalit? 30% is standard for a Government contract over the last 15 years. (And fairly standard for a second world country.)

Are you really implying that corruption was somehow unique to the Thaksin Government?

Not true. According to Pasuk and other professors who have made a career out of studying corruption, before Thaksin the average kickback was on the order of 10 -15%. No one ever said corruption didn't exist before Thaksin. But the rates sure did go up under him.

And remember, he ran as a "reformer" who woudl clean up corruption.

And then there is this piece of news today:

The Supreme Court sentenced to six months in jail a legal team of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra over what is called "the Pastry Gate," in which a supreme court official was given a pastry box filled with Bt2 million in cash.

The team members who each face six months in jail for violating the court's authority are lawyer Pichit Chuenban, coordinator Thana Tansiri and clerk Supasri Srisawat.

Pichit is lawyer of Thaksin on the case that he is alleged of abusing of power in purchasing a plot of land in Ratchadapisek area.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I recall you said that everything about the Ratchadapisek land deal was perfectly legal. If so, why does Thaksin need to try and bribe the judges?

Supreme Court Vice President Mongkol Thapthiang, who heads a panel comprising Supreme Court judge Weeraphol Tangsuwan and Issaret Chairat, investigating the case, said Wednesday the panel found the three guilty of the charge.

"The action by the three shows the intention to persuade court officials to commit wrongdoing," the judge said.

"This action is serious and the court sentences each to six months in jail," it said.

Another man, Thana Tansiri, alleged to have delivered the parcel, failed to appear in court and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Further legal action on a separate charge of criminal bribery is expected.

The incident is considered grave because it was happened in the high court of the country. Any lawyer who is convicted of the charge cannot cannot work as a lawyer in any court again. The Law Society of Thailand will also have to take legal action against the lawyers.

Earlier reports said that a lawyer who used to represent a politician walked into the office of the Supreme Court's Criminal Division for Political Office Holders, which handles the administrative affairs for the graft tribunal, a special court for corruption, early June.

The lawyer filed a writ and then handed a bag of pastries to court officials. A clerk looked into the bag and noticed the cash. He then asked the lawyer about the money. The reply was: "Divide the money up among yourselves."

The officials were utterly shocked by the incident. As they were trying to alert their superiors and supervising judges, a senior judge happened to pass by the room and asked what had happened.

After hearing the incident, the senior judge instructed that the money be counted and photographed. The cash was returned to the lawyer, who was present throughout the checking process.

The photograph was considered sufficient evidence for a bribery case. The cash was returned in order to dispel a counter argument that money already changed hands.

Earlier Pichit denied he was the lawyer who tried to bribe court officials by offering a box of pastries containing Bt2 million in cash.

"Our team of lawyers was not involved in the attempt to influence the panel of judges. We feel the Supreme Court will give us justice," Pichit said.

"We don't need to do that. It was not even in our thoughts. I'm confident the fact-finding panel will find out [the truth] about the attempted-bribery allegation," he said.

Pichit admitted that he and other lawyers had gone to the court on Tuesday, having been assigned by Thaksin and his wife, Pojaman, to file a request to report to the Supreme Court. He said they were there no longer than 30 minutes and did not take any gifts for court officials.