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EditorIt should not have been imposed in the first place but the lifting of the state of emergency yesterday by caretaker Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat is a welcome move. "I appeal to all parties to turn to each other to resolve the problem and together heal the damage done to the nation," Somchai said.

The revocation should be welcome irrespective of whether Somchai was doing the right thing for the wrong reason. At the least, he should be complimented for making this his first and foremost priority after taking the post from Samak Sundaravej, who was abandoned on Friday by coalition MPs.

Santi Vilassakdanont, the chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries, had earlier said that if the emergency decree stayed in force until the year-end, exports and tourism could suffer more than Bt600 billion in losses.

Foreigners already have a perception of Thailand that is worse than the reality, and continuing the state of emergency would only exacerbate this image. A number of foreign traders have already cancelled trips to Thailand to attend fairs, while Thai Airways International has seen a reduction in its "cabin factor", or seats sold, from 75-80 per cent to only 60 per cent.

For the sake of the economy, let's hope that the lifting of the state of emergency puts things back on the right track.

On the political front, Somchai insisted that he was not doing this to win sympathy. As the prime minister of the country, even though only a caretaker, Somchai said it was the right thing to do. But if Somchai was doing this with his eye on Wednesday's session of the House of Representatives, when it is scheduled to name the next prime minister, then it could be said that he has taken a slight lead over the two other candidates - caretaker justice minister Sompong Amornwiwat and caretaker finance minister Surapong Suebwonglee. All three are members of the People Power Party.

Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva's chance of assuming the premiership is virtually gone now that the coalition parties have decided to stick together, and they have reportedly told the People Power Party that they will support any of the three candidates.

The coalition parties view Sompong as an acceptable choice, while Surapong has been instrumental in several of the current government's economic policies. However, Somchai may eventually win the nomination due to his close connection with former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. He is Thaksin's brother-in-law.

But whoever is picked as the premier on Wednesday will indeed face major challenges in governing this country, which has mostly been mired in political crisis in recent years. The new premier will be taking over at a time when there are deep divisions in society.

Nevertheless, whoever becomes premier should learn a thing or two from the previous administration.

Samak's downfall came early not only because he was accused of being Thaksin's proxy but also because he was too arrogant and uncompromising. It was clear from day one that Samak was motivated by a desire to help Thaksin and his family fight a number of corruption cases. Moreover, it never crossed his mind that his course of action could end in a major catastrophe for the nation when the legislative branch clashes with the judicial. That moment was appropriately prevented on Friday when coalition MPs refused to reappoint him as premier after the Constitutional Court had disqualified him over conflict of interest.

It will be necessary for whoever takes Samak's place to demonstrate that he has the best interests of the people at heart and to spearhead a solution to the crisis by listening to all sides.

The new premier should not repeat Samak's mistakes by worsening a confrontational atmosphere. He must work hard to restore the integrity of the executive branch and reach out to all, regardless of their political leaning or affiliation.