In search of a truly patriotic leader to end the turmoil

Tulsathit Taptim

And it doesn't take a guru to see the warning signs - a national flag controversy, charges of sedition being traded with dizzying speed, heated debate over a man's refusal to stand up for the royal anthem, looming confrontation between self-proclaimed nationalistic demonstrators, etc.

Just a few months after the "return to democracy", Thais are on collision course again. Are we evolving, or just deteriorating? Is all of this a bitter soul-searching, something painful but necessary, or simply a preventable setback? Are we paying a big price for a little light at the end of the tunnel, or is the nation blindly digging its own grave?

At times like this, a country needs a true leader. We are not talking about one with unrivalled ability to mediate irreconciliable ideological extremes. One truly patriotic leader is what we need, who realises the current state of the nation and whose unwavering agenda is doing everything he can to take the conflicting parties off the warpath.

The last thing we need is a leader with a personal agenda or vested interests, who pursueshis controversial goals without caring if they will shove the country closer to the brink. We need a leader who can prioritise between eliminating the questionable legacy of the coup and getting fragile post-election democracy working.

A true leader must have second thoughts on constitutional amendments, if they are likely to deepen national rifts and provoke violence. And he must be well aware that he does not have the luxury of walking the thin patriot-or-traitor line as others. To him, patriotism and betrayal are clearly distinct. He has the unenviable task of making sure that if the political divide is likely to turn bloody, that will have to happen over his dead body. Anything less, he's not doing his job at best, or betraying his legitimacy at worst.

Most of all, this leader must be able to come to terms with the seemingly unbearable truth that although he has come to power representing certain sectors of the population, he has the obligation now to serve the whole country. Even if he doesn't mind the Thai national flag bearing an individual's name being hoisted in a foreign soccer stadium, he at least must realise that all Thais live and die under the same flag.

This leader will please no-one but he understands that this looming crisis calls for sacrifice and unsung heroism. The threat of bloodshed is real, and he is now heading a country in an emergency. With his clear agenda, he will defend it by acting on it, not by going ballistic every time someone makes the slightest criticism. He takes on every "conspiracy" like a man, not like the boy who cries wolf.

This leader cherishes his own values, but everything takes lesser precedence, with ideological showdowns and conflicts of interest combined to bring the country to boiling point. He will have to cool the

situation down now and worry

about anything or anyone else later.   

We can walk the line forever, but he has the responsibility to ensure that the lines do not get blurred at the nation's expense. He knows his limitations but is prepared to do whatever he can to keep the country together.

The planned charter amendments have generated potentially explosive repercussions, and while many matters may be out of this leader's control, he knows what powers he has to defuse the crisis and he will use them.

Sadly, this leader doesn't exist. We can blame the extreme political polarisation which makes it increasingly hard for a peaceful compromise or for an effective mediator to emerge. Or we can blame the lack of ultimate common values to hold onto when individuals fail us. Whatever the reasons, "the line" will get thinner and thinner, because national leadership now means little more than getting absolute power at whatever cost.

Politics generate smear campaigns everywhere but we are mastering the art. We may have already come to the point where winners and losers in our political environment are decided through exchanged charges of subversion, and whoever emerges a lesser traitor takes the cake. And we are staring at this vicious circle probably because the real essence of patriotism has been lacking from the top down.