Interview with Mr. Jittanart Limthongkul, CEO of the Manager Media Group and Managing Director of ThaiDay Dot Com Co., Ltd

BD: The caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra came to power through democratic means as he was elected democratically and won the majority of seats in the Parliament. Why is the People’s Alliance for Democracy demanding his resignation by using “undemocratic processes”.

JL: Prime Minister Thaksin always claims that he won the majority of votes, i.e. 19 million votes, and that he therefore has complete control of the country. He decides what is right for the people. But wining the majority of votes does not mean that you can exercise your power unethically. Is the people movement undemocratic? People of the same opinion have the rights to come together to find means to achieve their common ends. Under the current government, all democratic systems have been damaged or interfered with. The Government has 375 seats while the Opposition coalition has 125 seats in the parliament. With this limited number of seats, the Opposition was unable to file any censure motions against any ministers accused of any wrongdoing. As for the Upper House, it was recently alleged that over 60% of senators have received payments from the Thai Rak Thai Party. The judges in the Constitutional Courts are not only unqualified, but they are pro-Government. It is therefore impossible to use parliamentary mechanisms and democratic institutions to investigate the Government. The independence of the legal system has been severely compromised under Thaksin’s rule.

Take the recent case of the sale of Shin Corporation to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, where Thaksin purposely avoided paying tax. Moreover, he changed the law on foreign ownership in the telecommunication sector only 3 days prior to the sale, raising the maximum threshold for foreign ownership from 25% to 49%.

The current problem is related to the current constitution. The constitution was drafted with the purpose of strengthen the government’s stability. To avoid the repetition of “buffet cabinets” [where Minister’s abuse their position to enrich themselves] as we have seen in the past, the constitution gives supreme power to the Prime Minister. But it did not foresee that there would be such a powerful political figure like Thaksin, with vast amounts of capital and assets, who would exercise this power to its extreme. The democratic process and the legal system were damaged by the Prime Minister who himself does not believe in democracy. When the People’s Alliance for Democracy was formed, the Prime Minister said he would be open for investigation both in the Lower and Upper House. Of course, this did not happen as he took an easy way out, by dissolving the parliament. A Parliament is normally only dissolved if there is instability within the government, or if the government does not have enough votes in the parliament to pass laws. Yet the Prime Minister instead claimed that the dissolution would allow constitutional amendments. The question is that why did not he push for the amendment prior to the dissolution? He dissolved the parliament for himself, so that he can come back with renewed legitimacy after the election. He knows that he would win the majority of votes again.

BD: What do you think of the decision of the Opposition Coalition to boycott the upcoming election?

JL: I think it was the right decision. The Government has no just reasons to dissolve the parliament. It gives only 37 days for campaigning and this is not enough, especially for the Opposition. The Opposition could not accept the rules of Thaksin’s government, and they are not limiting people’s choices in doing so. They can still cast their votes on 2nd April by voting for nobody. The People’s Alliance for Democracy has co-operated with the Opposition Coalition in the sense that we inform the public on the tricks and bad practices of the Government.

BD: Mr. Sondhi Limthongkul used to support TRT and Prime Minister Thaksin. What made him changed his mind? How does he deal with the feeling of the people who do not support the Prime Minister nor support Mr. Sondhi?

JL: Mr. Sondhi is just like many ordinary Thais who like to try new challenges and alternatives for Thai society. When Thai Rak Thai was elected and formed the government, Thailand was facing serious economic problems. People were fed up with policies of the Democrat Party, which were perceived as giving preference to foreign firms for asset auction. They did not believe that Thailand would progress economically with the Democrat Party in power. Thaksin and his Thai Rak Thai Party were then considered a “new hope” for society. Mr. Sondhi believed that with this new government Thailand would turn to new political direction. The personal profiles of all the cabinet members were impressive. However, after the first term in government, many of his supporters realized that Prime Minister Thaksin has focused on populist policies for the sole purpose of strengthening the political base of the Thai Rak Thai Party. As a responsible member of the media, Mr Sondhi could not ignore the bad practice of the Prime Minister. Many people later also questioned the Prime Minister mainly on his unethical action in the sale of the Shin Corporation. The Prime Minister did not answer those questions but responded fiercely to people who questioned him. This has contributed to create more dissatisfaction among the people.
It is not important whether people like Mr. Sondhi, as long as they agree on common goal. The Prime Minister Thaksin has no moral right to govern the country any longer.

BD: What will happen if the Prime Minister does step down?

JL: Thailand will then have a major political reform. The level of political participation among the people will be greater. Corruption will be more difficult to practice. It is possible that we ask the King, as head of the state, to appoint a Prime Minister together and cabinet. Then we can proceed with the constitutional amendment, followed by a general election. All political parties can then have a fair fight under fair rules.

BD: Will Mr. Sondhi Limthongkul be involved in politics if he is asked to do so?

JL: No. As a member of the media, you are free to criticize the government. Once you are part of the system you loose that freedom. People also listen to you more than they listen to the government.