BANGKOK // Thailand's ruling party nominated a new prime minister yesterday, but the selection drew sharp criticism from some party members and could lead to months more of political upset. The country moved a step closer to having a new leader when the People Power Party (PPP) put forward Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of Thaksin Shinawatra, the disgraced former prime minister, as its choice for the post.
Mr Somchai's election into office is by no means certain. Already, a major faction within the governing party has threatened to vote against him in the parliamentary vote tomorrow. At least 70 PPP MPs will not vote for Mr Somchai, Boonjong Wongtrairat, the leader of the faction, told journalists. The PPP-led coalition holds 315 of 480 seats in the House of Representatives. Mr Somchai has been acting prime minister for the past week after the Constitutional Court fired Samak Sundaravej from the job for hosting two cooking shows on commercial television while in office.
But it is Mr Somchai's relationship to Mr Thaksin, the former prime minister overthrown in a military coup two years ago, that is causing the most trouble. Protesters who have been occupying Government House for more than three weeks already accuse the government of being a puppet of Mr Thaksin, who is currently in exile in England after jumping bail on corruption charges, and the selection of Mr Somchai has only added to the furore.
"We all know who Somchai is. Samak was just a nominee, but Somchai is the real actor linked to Thaksin's family," Somsak Kosaisuk, one of the protest leaders, told reporters on hearing that the PPP had chosen Mr Somchai. "We will not give him the benefit of the doubt or give him a honeymoon period." The People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) - a motley group of businessmen, activists and academics leading the protests - paint themselves as champions of a cleaner government and defenders of the monarchy. Despite their name, they advocate a return to an appointed government, claiming popular democracy is swayed by money - especially Mr Thaksin's billions.
They have said they will remain on the streets until the PPP steps down. "With the PAD still in [the] streets demanding an end to parliamentary rule, whoever is elected as prime minister will have a hard time governing the country," said Prof Titinan Pongsudhirak, a political scientist at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. Most analysts believe the new government will not last long, as it is unlikely to resolve the current political crisis. "The ruling PPP is merely trying to buy time before the inevitable; dissolving parliament and fresh elections," said Prof Titinan. "In the meantime the political turmoil will only deepen."
Mr Somchai's wife is Mr Thaksin's younger sister. During his time as the top civil servant at the justice ministry Mr Somchai was often accused of benefiting from nepotism. He dismissed the accusations, saying that he got the job before Mr Thaksin came to power. However, he will have less success in deflecting similar criticism of his meteoric political rise. Over the weekend, it became clear that he was Mr Thaksin's choice for the post after the former premier made numerous phone calls from London urging the party faithful to elect his brother-in-law.
Some members within the party have hurried to Mr Somchai's defence. "Just because you have married into the family doesn't mean you are at Mr Thaksin's beck and call," said Chaturon Chaisang, who was prime minister in Mr Thaksin's government. "He is his own man - new to politics, but diligent, intelligent and relatively independent," he said. Prof Titinan described Mr Somchai as a career civil servant with policy experience.
As acting premier, Mr Somchai lifted the state of emergency on Sunday that Mr Samak had imposed in the capital two weeks ago, after a bloody street battle between the anti-government protesters and government supporters. One man was killed and more than 40 others injured in the fighting. The lifting of the emergency decree was immediately welcomed by Thai businessmen and the tourism industry. The bad publicity of the past month has caused international arrivals to drop by 70 per cent, according to the Thai Tourism and Services Association. The Thai Hotels Association reported a 40 per cent fall in occupancy. Other industries that profit from the tourist trade - food, entertainment, jewellery and handicrafts - also suffered losses.
Tourism accounts for around six per cent of the country's gross domestic product. Last year about 15 million foreign tourists visited Thailand, bringing in close to US$30 billion (Dh110bn), according to Apichart Sankary, the president of the Association of Thai Travel Agents (ATTA). Whatever happens in the coming days and weeks, the writing is on the wall for the ruling PPP. The election commission has unanimously recommended that the party be disbanded and at least 10 top party officials, including Mr Samak, banned from politics for at least five years for electoral irregularities and vote-buying.
The Constitutional Court is expected to decide on the case in the next two or three months, and it is almost certain to accept the recommendations of the election commissioners. @Email:ljagan@thenational.ae
