Democrat-led govt should not be allowed to function normally : Jakrapob

Jakrapob Penkair, a leader of the red-shirt pro-Thaksin Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship (DAAD), close aide to Thaksin and former minister of the PM's Office, talks with The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk about where it all might lead.

Q : Shouldn't the Democrat Party government be given a chance to administer the country without any major disruption? Shouldn't red-shirt protesters be working towards national reconciliation instead of throwing eggs at its opponents?

A : The Democrat-led coalition should not be allowed to function as a "normal administration". The party managed to form this coalition from the output of so many external forces that it removed democracy from this country.

Now what will these people do? The red-shirt campaign is the largest gathering. The red-shirt [component] has been wide. Some of them are very emotional.

Q : Those opposing Thaksin see him as a deeply corrupt politician bent on absolute control over Thai society. What kind of person do you see in Thaksin that you admire so much - and how do you explain the stark gap in perception?

A : Well, it stems from my belief that there's no God-like human. I like him because he is a human being who likes to do things for the betterment of others. It doesn't mean he's an angel, but he helps everybody have a better goal in life rather than a patronage society.

I want people to be equal and to select someone who [they] see as fit [to run the country]. It would be naive to divide the country into anti- and pro-Thaksin. The red shirt movement now includes the pro-Thaksin and pro-democracy factions. The latter will grow even larger.

Q : Why did the Somchai Wongsawat administration fail to prevent the anti-Thaksin People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) from closing the Bangkok airports down?

Two factors ... the prime minister himself wasn't meant for the job. He was not prepared for it. So it would be of no surprise that he had a problem handling [it]. Then the crowd itself, which was well-connected (sen yai). I think that explains it. It's not a normal crowd and the Somchai government was not a normal government. That remains a shock to people even today?

Q : Some say Thailand is witnessing an epic class struggle. How accurate is such a portrayal when Thaksin and many of his aides are very rich and the PAD, which was branded as pro-monarchy and pro-elite, enjoys support from the rural poor in the south and central Thailand too?

A : Sometimes class struggle cannot be seen from the leadership but from the followers. People like Lenin ... are revolutionist and have been rich.

Q : Red-shirt protesters have often been accused by a majority of the Thai media as being a "hired mob". How can you repudiate such an allegation? Is Thaksin involved in funding protesters?

A : We don't need to do any PR job for the red-shirt campaigns. For the mainstream media, Thaksin himself has been accused of corruption and of being disloyal to the throne. And the allegation of lese majeste I received myself, is a risky undertaking of the so-called invisible hand.

I mentioned in a TV show that the red-shirt gathering at the Rajamangala Stadium [last year] was comprised of 40 per cent Thaksin supporters and 60 per cent of people who have never joined the [red-shirt] rally. I think it's the 60 per cent who count.

Q : Will the lese majeste case against you be speeded up now that the Democrats are in power?

A : I think so. I think it has been sped up.

Q : Thailand has suffered much from PAD protesting over the past year, can the DAAD justify doing the same, like shutting down airports during the Asean summit next month?

A : Let me deny it outright. There's no plan whatsoever to stage a protest to shut down airports. All we plan to do is to tell Asean [member nations] that we do not regard this Thai government as legitimate and wait for them to decide. We want the meeting [to take place but] we want the Thai government to come clean.