Sunday, January 30, 2005 :: Chris
The Business Of Politics
While all eyes are on Iraq's already doomed attempt at elections, here in Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is gearing up to keep his premiership for a second term in elections to be held early next month. Thai elections are apparently always marred by violence amongst candidates, especially in the country's rural districts - in 2001's elections, over 75 people died during the election run up in campaign related incidences. At the moment, things are mercifully quiet.

I've only come to realise recently that Thailand is very much a fledgling democracy itself. From reading Thaksin: The Business Of Politics In Thailand, I've had a crash course in modern Thai politics - the country was still under military rule as recently as 1992, and the economic crash of 1997 through much of the country's democratic reforms into chaos. Until Thaksin came to power in 2001, no party had held onto power amongst a sea of coalitions for more than a couple of years. Certainly Thaksin's self-professed "CEO management style" of the country has helped reverse much of the damage caused by the economic crash; but at what price? As the billionaire businessman behind the Asian telecoms giant Shin Corporation (formerly Shinawatra Corporation), Thaksin is keen to portray himself as above the corruption and cronyism which has dogged Thai politics - what need does he have of more money being a frequent response to the press. But Pasuk Phongpaichit and Chris Baker's book is an excellent analysis of how Shin's numerous businesses have directly benefited from government concessions and international favouritism thanks to Shinawatra's connection with the company.

This continued connection between the premiership and his supposed former business interests (Thaksin turned them over on becoming premier...to his wife) is breathtakingly brazen; but Thaksin's repeated attacks on the Thai press and media is even more disturbing. Routine harassment, intimidation and sacking of journalists have been instigated at the government's behest - and the one troublesome TV station in Thailand with a penchant for investigative journalism was bought by none other than the Shin Corporation. The book's authors point out Thaksin's own chilling comments that democracy is a means to an end, not a goal in itself. That is, democracy provides the best context for business to thrive. Given his business acumen, Thaksin essentially expects the country to follow his will unquestioningly in order to let him manage the country as a business effectively. This authoritarian approach has, the authors argue, undone much of the work done in previous years to solidify Thailand as a democracy. And it's also an attitude which has only inflamed the troubles in the south of Thailand, where hundreds died last year and continue to die as formerly peaceful Muslim and Buddhist communities clash.

I won't pretend I understand the complexities of Thailand's troubles in the South - but I can hear the echo of Reagan and Thatcher in Thaksin's hyper-pragmatist economic policies all too clearly. There's no doubt that Thailand needs a strong leader to provide the country with direction and drive as it continues to develop, rather than vacillating between ineffectual political coalitions - but it also needs a leader who recognises the inherent value of democracy itself. Perhaps there is not much room for subtlety in Thai politics at this point - one Thai general recently gave a casual comment to the press that dealing with rural activists wasn't like the old days: then you would simply shoot them - but by taking this authoritarian stance, Thaksin's government is in danger of losing far more than it can ever hope to gain.

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A journal about living and travelling in Thailand by Chris Mitchell, a British travel writer based in Bangkok, Thailand.

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