Thailand's military junta has further tightened its grip on the affairs of the politically turbulent South East Asian nation. Army chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha, who led the May 22 coup, has been endorsed as prime minister by Bhumibol Adulyadej, the revered King of the country. The general was chosen uncontested as new prime minister last week by a national assembly made up mainly by the military figures. Now that the strongman has received the royal endorsement, he is expected to form a cabinet soon. The new government would embark on sweeping reforms that the ruling junta says would ensure democracy and truly representative government.
Earlier, the junta indicated that elections would take place late next year, but reforms were essential prior to the balloting.
Since taking over power in the bloodless coup, the ruling circles have imposed several restrictions in the country like ban on political demonstrations. The military says the restrictions would be slackened in phases, but the nation cannot go back to the days of endless political uncertainty. Most political parties are looking askance at the "designs" of the junta as they consider that the military is seeking to prolong its rule on various pretexts.
The junta, which is maintaining a tight grip on the developments since May 22, made no bones of the fact that it would continue its dominance until the polls are held and may also devise mechanisms that would allow it to have a say in the affairs in the future as well.
General Prayuth, who spearheaded the coup, will head a cabinet that would facilitate the way to the national elections in late 2015.The transition, mapped out in an interim constitution promulgated recently, retains the National council for Peace and Order (NCPO) which is made of the armed forces people. The interim constitution provides the formation of a 220-member national legislative assembly which has been appointed by the NCPO. All these steps make it abundantly clear that the armed forces will remain the most effective factor in the nation in the near future, if not for a longer period. However, political parties are not taking the situation lying down.
The military junta has outlawed all kinds of demonstrations and protests against its rule. The political parties allege that the authorities are hell-bent on "stifling the voice of people with a view to perpetuating tough rule". The junta leader said earlier that elections would take place only after "political reforms" and defended the military coup to fend off criticisms at home and abroad. The United States and other democratic countries have urged the new rulers of Thailand to return to representative rule as early as possible.
The army took over the reins of Thailand against the backdrop of a political crisis. Initially, the military declared martial law without taking over power, but they hardly took much time to stage the real coup. The development came as another twist in the topsy-turvy politics of the nation, where a fresh election was scheduled for August 03.
The road to the military take-over was quite acrimonious after the constitutional court ordered prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra removed from the office for "abuse" of power.
Earlier, the February 02 polls were boycotted by the main opposition party and also by the protestors calling for exit of the Yingluck government. Prime minister Yingluck had appeared to have weathered the storm to some extent. But, it is the legitimacy of the government that haunted her authority.
The 44-year-old Yingluck made history by becoming the first women prime minister of the country following a resounding victory by her political party in the elections that were followed by the controversial polls. A relatively stranger in politics, she owed the success largely to her elder brother and former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who lives abroad. Thaksin is quite popular in the parts of the rural areas in Thailand and also with segments of the middle class. But the billionaire businessman-turned-politician was ousted by a military coup in 2007 and was also sentenced to prison terms on allegation of corruption. He has been living abroad for last few years and did not return to Thailand even after his political party led by her sister won the polls and formed the government. Early this year, his sister's government sought to pardon him, facilitating his come back to country, but the attempt failed. This worsened her political problems.
Confronted with a difficult situation at present, Thaksin's party remains active and Yingluck Shinawatra told a news conference in Bangkok recently that Thailand needs to restore democracy at the earliest. The current situation has even alarmed the Democratic party that was in opposition during the rule by Yingluck. Several organisations, including the New York-based Human Rights watch, said the interim constitution has given the junta "sweeping and unaccountable" power and also expressed concern over the repression of the supporters of the ousted government.
But the junta says that it was forced to take power after prolonged political bitterness that left at least 30 people dead. The latest developments in Thailand leaves none in the confusion that the junta is moving slowly and carefully to strengthen its hold in the governance of the country.
It is buoyed by the fact that people and tourists in Thailand seem to be not much bothered about the pattern of the rule since the long spell of political disturbance is now over. However, the issue of representative government is a matter that cannot be overlooked. It remains to be seen how the political parties evolve their strategies under the present conditions.
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