Setting record straight on Ratchada

By The Nation

Published on October 31, 2009

(Posted by CAAI News Media)

We all know that politicians can push the "boundaries" further than the rest of us, but Chalerm's latest attempt is unbelievable. In what was billed as a desperate effort to defend his political lord and master Thaksin Shinawatra, Chalerm told the Parliament on Thursday that Thailand had no grounds to ask Cambodia, or anybody for that matter, for the extradition of the former premier convicted of corruption.

First of all, Chalerm said, the body that tried Thaksin was the political section of the Supreme Court, and because this was a "political section", Thaksin's crime should be "political" in nature.

Moreover, he said, Thaksin did not violate any laws; he just did something the law didn't want him to do. Is this his way of saying that Thaksin's conflict of interest were just untoward but not illegal? Was he also whitewashing the major problems of today's public figures in Thailand?

Basically, Chalerm is saying that Thaksin's crimes can't be considered crimes because others were committing them too. He is saying that, as a public figure, one doesn't have to stay within the narrow perimeter of the law, that one can hide behind the usual excuses, or show a contempt towards the law just like others do.

The Supreme Court has ruled that Thaksin broke the law by giving his wife official consent to buy state-owned land in Ratchadaphisek.

While the ruling and other incidents involving Thaksin have divided Thailand more than anything in history, one thing is clear: Law was violated in the acquisition of the land and finding Thaksin guilty for it is purely legal, not political.

Chalerm was mixing things up to try and reinforce the blurred picture that Thaksin is trying to present to the world that what happened to him was "political", not legal. Of course, the coup was a big setback for democracy. But irrespective of the coup that deposed him, Thaksin violated the law and needs to be imprisoned. Everything is there in the letter of the law.

In addition, Chalerm is also trying to suggest that Thaksin's election victories prove that he has never done anything wrong. If elections can erase crimes, why do we need the judiciary? Is Chalerm suggesting that all a country needs for its political system are just the executive and legislative branches?

Chalerm and like-minded colleagues need to wake up, move on and live up to the promises they made to the nation and the people who elected them. Thais deserve better from their elected representatives.