A weary public hopes for a peaceful end

Once again, it is crunch time for Thailand as warring political factions bring the nation to its knees. No one knows what the future holds, but it doesn't look good as thousands of People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) protesters come face to face with about an equal number of riot police who have been ordered to hold them at bay. Adding to what is already a tense stand-off, the pro-government Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD) has sandwiched the PAD against the police.

Weng Tojirakan, a leader of Daad, says "all hell will break loose" if the PAD moves towards them. Tough talk for a man who likes to present himself as a champion of justice.

Members of the PAD accuse Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej's government of being a proxy for former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in the 2006 military coup. They have pledged to lay siege to Government House until Samak and his coalition government resign, declaring yesterday their D-Day.

The PAD also vowed to use "peaceful means" to achieve its objective, but there are doubts as to whether its members truly understand that such an approach comes at a price. Indians under the moral guidance of Gandhi had their heads bashed in, to the point that the British Empire lost all of its moral authority to govern the country, and 53 years ago Rosa Parks, a black woman in the US, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Her simple act of protest changed America forever.

In both cases civil disobedience was used to subvert the morally bankrupt rules and regulations in the countries involved. The Indians and the blacks in the US were well aware of the consequences of their actions and were prepared for them.

No one can say for certain whether the PAD will carry on in the same spirit. Images of Chamlong Srimuang holding a baseball bat on a PAD stage do not inspire confidence.

Of course, being part of a non-governmental organisation, Weng has the luxury of not having to give public opinion that much weight, but no matter how one looks at it, the DAAD's actions could have a detrimental affect on the Samak Sundaravej government. A goon is a goon, no matter how one looks at it.

Ironically, the people who are making the most sense at this juncture happen to be the police, whose spokesman reminded all sides that the PAD protesters marching towards Government House were not criminals but citizens of this country.

Army chief General Anupong Paochinda has also tried to distance himself from the political stand-off between the government and the PAD, suggesting that the street protests have not affected the work of the authorities and that work routines will not be disrupted.

But the government refused to regard the stand-off as anything other than a matter of all or nothing for them. Sophistication in handling the situation or innovations in defusing tensions on the part of the government do not seem likely.

Would it have been too difficult for Samak and his government to put aside their foolish pride and take a few minutes from their hectic schedule to walk up to PAD leaders and accept the petitions which they said they wanted to hand the government? That might have defused the tension early on in the game. Yet instead, Samak and Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung let their egos get the better of them.

Our elected leaders, too, should make use of Parliament. Surely there is something our parliamentarians can do to defuse the tension.

If anything, yesterday's shoving back and forth between the PAD and the police just metres away from Government House resembled a kick-boxing match where everybody shouts and nobody is listening.

How did we get to a point where we don't respect our differences? How are we supposed to move on as a country?

Samak and his lieutenants have to understand that this is not a zero-sum game. We are all in this boat together. If one side goes down, we all go down. Their task at this moment is to restore confidence in the state mechanism so that differences can be resolved.