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Published on November 11, 2007

Samak has become the leader of the People Power Party, a fancy name to be reckoned with, and a well-funded, self-confessed nominee of Thaksin Shinawatra, the ex-premier now in political exile and away from arrest warrants in his name.

If there was anything surprising in Samak's hot temper and his attitude of never giving anything away to news reporters, it was the degree of tenacity he displayed despite being long past his prime. In a way, he compensates for his old age with the ferocity of his temper and readiness to exchange harsh words.

Most of the reporters who were the targets of his verbal pot-shots that day are younger than his daughters. He did not seem to care, but instead took pride in having more seniority than those posing uncomfortable questions and probing for an inconvenient truth from him.

He picked a press conference for a verbally combative session following some unpleasant questions about whether ex-Thai Rak Thai party executives banned from political activities by the Constitution Tribunal had helped him select the People Power Party's party-list candidates.

Samak shot back with his own question: "Did somebody hire you to ask that question? Where are you from?" The argument then flared up, and Samak increased the vehemence of his retort. This time he asked whether the reporter had sex on the previous night.

TV viewers unfamiliar with Samak might have been shocked by his emotional outburst and callous question. How could a politician of such an age enjoy a heated argument with news reporters? What about scruples and maintaining civility?

It was a controversial confrontation indeed. At least four reporters engaged in the argument, while the others were just witnesses. It required a certain degree of nerve to match words and emotions with Samak, whom both political greenhorns and cub reporters dread.

If that first session weren't terrible enough (though it was a source of laughter for Samak's party members from the hinterlands), the second of the evening was even more combative when he let loose with further harsh words.

"Why couldn't I hit back at you guys? Are you media fellows my daddy?"

By getting the public's attention with his inexplicable courage in these sharp verbal exchanges with news reporters, Samak can retain his status as "the one and only, who believes in his own invincibility".

Oh yes, Samak has gone through the rise and fall of his popularity. The peak of his political career was back in 1979, when he was the interior minister who assumed power following a bloodbath and a coup. Since then, he has been on an irreversible decline with his own Prachakorn Thai Party, which has seen a sinking number of winning candidates.

It has never occurred to him that his failure to attain nationwide popularity and this decline requires a serious change in his style and level of maturity. He abandoned his own party and let his younger brother take the leadership so that he could serve as Thaksin's nominee and regain a place in the limelight during his twilight years.

This is possibly his last shot at the premiership, which has been held twice by his long-time arch-rival, Chuan Leekpai of the Democrat Party.

His bad mood during the press conference might have come from the fear that his own clout and power in the new party was questionable if someone else messed with the choice of candidates. He could not allow himself to be seen as just a powerless figurehead doing the dirty work for some untold reward.

Never mind how the public perceives his behaviour, he posed a challenge: If you don't like me, don't vote for me. Let the people decide on my party.

Samak went further, claiming that a victory for the People Power Party would mean that Thaksin had not committed any guilt, but this point was shot down by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont, who said that the criminal cases against Thaksin and the results of the general election were entirely different matters.

People Power Party candidates in Bangkok were not happy with Samak's big shows. They looked worried that the voters would reject them out of a dislike for the party's leader. They too could not complain due to fear of the wrath of the boss. Of course, some voters regard him as a political hero who never fears the media. That may be true. Samak's mouth has caused him many legal troubles. A case is pending in the Court of Appeals, after the Criminal Court sentenced him to a two-year jail term without probation.

This should serve as a real concern for Samak, who also awaits possible criminal charges for his involvement in the questionable procurement of fire-fighting equipment and boats. That's why he has always been regarded as "the man who would be prime minister".

He is the one and only again, the man who does not seem to recognise unpleasant reality.

Sopon Onkgara