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Published on January 27, 2008

His rise to the premiership was unexpected, accidental or a fluke, so to speak, simply because he was fit for the job of leading the People Power Party (PPP) through adversity with uncommon tenacity and the sense of having nothing to lose.

Now that the mission of leading PPP to election victory has been accomplished, next comes the hard task of managing affairs of state as prime minister - an unexpected reward indeed for the man who had been regarded as washed up politically in his sunset years.

Has Samak been able to grasp the reality and prepare himself to take the challenge? Surely, a man of stratospheric self-confidence should fear nothing, come hell or high water. His long years in gutter politics has made him a tough and die-hard fighter, venerable to some and despised by many. But Samak has to decide what role to choose - a nominee of Thaksin Shinawatra, his true self, or a mixture of both, depending on prevailing circumstances - when, as widely expected, members of PPP and its allies vote in the House tomorrow for him to become the 25th prime minister.

All along, Samak has cherished a devil-may-care attitude. His combative style is repulsive to a lot of people in the way he likes to style himself as the darling of the city's poor and downtrodden folk. From now on, he must realise that he cannot only please his admirers, but should also be mindful of his conduct and words.

Though character flaws, poor credibility and image problems are seen as his shortcomings, among others, they are not as corrosive to what is left of him as his self-confessed status as a political nominee of Thaksin, who must take orders and toe the line in whatever way the master wishes.

Now that he is 72 years of age, the oldest prime minister to take office, he must decide whether to wash away the unsavoury image by dedicating himself to working for the national interest and people of all livelihoods, and in the process rewrite his own history.

That's easier said than done, though he still has some fire left in his beer belly. Samak was a rebel with a dubious cause when he revolted against the Democrat Party in his prime years and became an ultra-right-wing politician. His firebrand talent that captured the hearts and souls of the city's poor won him a number of key Cabinet positions.

Still, this weekend should be his soul-searching period. How does he feel when he sees that party members seeking Cabinet seats pay no attention to him at all? They treat him as if he does not exist. That's because they all regard him as a nominee with nothing meaningful.

The man who calls the shots is in Hong Kong. PPP aspirants for Cabinet seats have been flocking to Thaksin in the past several days, begging for Cabinet seats, plum assignments and positions with perks. Samak has to be content with family members and scores of cats.

He can make a change! If he watches politics in the US and the ongoing campaigns for the presidential election, Samak as a veteran of gutter politics can make changes for history to remember him as a selfless politician, or even a statesman like the man he abhors, General Prem Tinsulanonda, if he so wishes and is determined to make good for past ills.

Is he too old to change? That depends on his courage to consider the pros and cons of whether he wants to serve Thaksin or the country when he still has the opportunity to do so.

What's more, doing good for the nation does not mean that he stabs Thaksin in the back. The politician in exile stands to gain as well if his nominee does something good for the country. It will underscore the fact that his choice of PPP leadership was sound.

Not only that, Thaksin will regard this as a win-win situation. He will have more evidence to show to the people, his critics and opponents that he means well for the country and is a patriot after all.

An independent Samak, headstrong and outspoken, is like a loose cannon. His fast mouth can breed enemies faster than he can count and history shows that nobody can restrain him. He has not appeared in public frequently with family members though he is truly a family man, enjoying time in the kitchen as self-perceived master chef.

If Samak shakes loose his nominee status and devotes himself to guiding the country to prosperity, he will be a man to watch though long past his prime. He will be a colourful figure to be seen in verbal sparring with news reporters and heated arguments with academics. We can live with it, if he is all for the good of the country.

Too bad, someone phoned me, waking me up from a brief reverie and dreamlike trance. My day is disturbed. Now I am getting back to reality, in having to wait until tomorrow.

What will be Samak's reaction in addition to his broad smiles when being crowned with the accidental premiership? Let's hope his next role will not be clowning as always.

Sopon Onkgara

The Nation