• 
• 

Published on March 19, 2008

Whether one should admire his honesty or condemn him for being indifferent to the ongoing violence that has claimed about 3,000 lives, is up to one's own judgement. In most countries, such a statement would amount to  political suicide. But from a man whose political career has been tainted by a questionable background and shady episodes, perhaps it would be too much to expect even a small degree of moral guidance.

A leader with moral authority is needed now more than ever, as the violence in the South reaches a new low following a car bomb that ripped through ethnic and religious lines. The region could descend into communal violence, although the situation has yet to spill over. Yesterday, attackers hurled a hand-grenade at a mosque just after morning prayers, wounding two caretakers. As always, police were quick to blame Muslim insurgents. For much of the past five years, the authorities have stuck to this same old line. Never mind that allegations of target killings and torture at the hands of the authorities are pilling up, or that Buddhist vigilante groups have been in the making for some time.

Perhaps Chalerm needs to go down south and see for himself how the violence has ripped apart the community that used to pride itself on peaceful co-existence. Perhaps he needs to think about quitting public service and give somebody else a crack at the job - at least somebody who is not a quitter at a time when the country needs him the most.

The Nation