If Thailand is to avoid a fate like the "Titanic", then the person who causes the problem must be dealt with, Mahachon deputy leader Akapol Sorasuchart said.

"We can't let the person stay on board anymore. It's a burden to the ship. We must throw the person off, then we can talk about how we can fill up the many holes on the boat [created by Thaksin]."

Democrat Party deputy Jurin Laksanavisit said: "It's not a constitutional crisis we're facing - but a crisis over the leader."

Thaksin was fighting numerous allegations, he said, ranging from lack of morality, polarising the people, corruption and purportedly stacking independent agencies for his party's benefit. But even if Thaksin succeeded in being re-elected, he would most likely be unable to govern Thailand, Jurin said.

Snoh Thienthong, leader of the newly-formed Pracharat Party, who is a former Thai Rak Thai faction leader, said as long as Thaksin and the political order he established was intact, Thais could forget about any political solution.

"Don't even hope that political reform will take place because big money, illegalities and injustice have been taking place over the past four to five years at an unprecedented level. [The person] is shameless and not afraid of sin, so don't even ask about ethics. And when there's no ethics the only thing in the person's mind is 'what will I get out of it?'."

Chart Thai Party deputy Somsak Prisanananthakul concurred: "All the problems are due to one person."

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation