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Published on October 14, 2007

The prime minister muddled through silently amidst charges of improper landholdings by assigning a junior Cabinet member to take the task of explaining matters on his behalf, even though the issue was clearly a personal one.

By ignoring his basic responsibility to clear himself of allegations of improper conduct, Surayud raised doubt as to his character.

It was odd that Surayud assigned somebody else to do the awkward task. Nobody knew whether the guy had ever visited or seen the controversial estate of the prime minister, which is said to be located on forest reserve land and acquired through questionable means.

Another lame excuse was that he had discussed the issue before and found no need to repeat the same old story. The public then saw him as a government leader unwilling to level with the people and clear their serious doubts.

What's more? His later comment added more of a dent to his once good standing and stature. He said if his landholdings turned out to be illegal, he would return the estate to the state but would not quit the premiership.

This was a serious departure from a statement he made months ago, when he said he would abandon the landholdings and prepare to resign if they were found to be illegal. The reason he gave for changing his stand this time was that he wants to stay on to organise the general elections scheduled for December 23.

Surayud should have realised by now that his contradictory public statements and stands on these issues have seriously impaired his credibility, not to mention worsened the thinning public confidence in what appears to be clearly a lame-duck administration.

Surayud's eagerness to hold the general elections was demonstrated when he set the date on his own, even though the Election Commission should have done this. The election is now seen as a quick way for the remnants of the Thaksin Shinawatra regime to retake power.

The arrogance of Thaksin's nominees, displayed through their public statements and political rallies, makes the public shudder at the thought of their return to power and how they would carry out a political vendetta against their opponents. With their huge war chest, they stand to win a large number of seats in the House thanks to grass-roots support boosted by big money.

The interim government has not been held duly responsible for its failure to carry out political, social and economic reforms, as well as to instil a sense of right and wrong. The sufficiency economy model, heralded during the government's early days in office, was simply abandoned and replaced by moves to replant vices through lotteries and betting.

When he came into office, Surayud claimed he would uphold morality and ethics, thereby giving the public the mistaken impression that the country would be moving towards an era of transparency, good governance and relative stability. Politics would resume with a clean slate, with the soiled hands weeded out.

What followed was sheer neglect of duty. Politics obviously got bogged down in the gutter with the same old faces engaged in power rivalries and backed by big money investing in politics for far greater returns.

The lame-duck government will limp along with the premier in bandages. The national economy has yet to see the light of day, with rising cost of living increasing hardships for low-income earners, whose main hope for a better life is winning the lottery.

Unemployment is also on the rise, with more factory closures due to the strong baht and the declining competitiveness of industrial exports.

The business community has lost whatever faith it had in the administration following months of no supportive policy initiatives being taken by the government.

From now on, the people will have to bear with a government determined to organise the general elections so that all Cabinet members can get away quickly. With no replacements for the Cabinet members who resigned last month, more tasks were left to those not as competent or effective.

The high ratings of the government a year ago contrast sharply to the present day. Public opinion polls confirm time and again that the Surayud team has failed miserably in their performance, far below the public's expectations.

The dogged refusal even to try harder for the sake of their reputations is inexplicable. The public was indeed baffled by the high degree of aloofness and indifference displayed by this self-proclaimed team of public office holders on the moral high ground.

 With no other plausible options, the public has to exercise extra tolerance and wait for the day of their departure a few months from now, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Some Cabinet members might thank their stars that their names were not recognised or known for the abject failures and karma done to the land.

Ironically, today marks the 34th anniversary of the student uprising, which led to a new era of democratic politics and eventually ended up in two more bloodbaths and long years spent in the gutter.

Sopon Onkgara