PanpreePhoto Pakdee Sukperm
Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, deputy leader of the opposition Pheu Thai Party, talks to The Nation's Somroutai Sapsomboon about politics and the upcoming court verdict on the assets-seizure case against ex-PM Thaksin Shinawatra.
With the court verdict to be read on Feb 26, do you think the political conflict will end?
That will depend on acceptance of the verdict. Certainly after the court ruling, there will be people who are satisfied and dissatisfied with it. One fact to reckon with is that for all the ongoing problems, you can't solve them by legal means alone; principles of political science must also be applied.
I don't look into the detail of what the verdict will look like. I just imagine what I would think if I were to face this kind of case. Two simple facts are: the money we earn earlier [prior to entering politics] should be returned, and the status of a person who was once an elected prime minister and now has to go places and is unable to return to the country. These are the most important issues, and others are just trivial.
Do you want Thaksin to return as prime minister?
I don't think he wants to make a comeback as prime minister. It's because he would not want his family that he loves to get into trouble again. He has suffered a lot about this matter. What he really wants are full Thai citizenship and justice that he deserves.
Will the verdict on February 26 have any impact on the Pheu Thai Party's popularity?
I don't think so. The party's support base mostly consists of people in the grassroots who are quite loyal supporters. Our political party was disbanded [by court order] twice and these people are still confident in us.
Is that popularity based on a conflict?
The party's popularity existed long before. The conflict just began after the coup in September 2006. All parties, including Khun Thaksin, must be asked if they are happy. Nobody is. So why do they continue to be in conflict? It seems some people want the problem to exist. It's because in every problem, there is someone who benefits from it. For me, the problem remains because they don't talk with each other. They often exchange their barbs through the media, which only leads to more tension. People in the country must join hands to make it known that they can no longer tolerate it and they want to see reconciliation. To attain reconciliation, you need to talk. The government should play the host and if they want such talks, there should be no condition that a jail term must be served first. If the government still wants to act as police, talks will never happen.
Without Thaksin, can Pheu Thai exist?
The party may not grow so big as when Khun Thaksin stays. He is like a magnet that draws people into the party.
He also supplies financial support, right?
That's true, just partly, not all. In managing any political party, you need money. This does not mean it is money to fund something illegal.
What do you think about the rallies by the red shirts?
They are doing their duty. As long as they rally peacefully and cause no disturbances, they have the right to do so. If a disturbance takes place, they have to prove that they are not involved with it. The red shirts consist of many groups of people - Thaksin admirers and justice lovers who denounce double standards. It's the government's duty to ensure their rally is peaceful.
The red shirts have now focused their attacks on the Privy Council, what do you think about this?
The Privy Council is an institution that we respect because they are advisers to the King. We love our King and thus we have to respect this institution. It's understood that the Privy Council is free from politics and any of its members who are involved with politics must be regarded [doing so] as a personal matter. Anyone who interferes with politics deserves to get the political impact, which should have nothing to do with the Privy Council.
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