A daunting task for Somsak

Somsak may be considered a "nominee" of the PAD's big guns and will, therefore, have a lot to prove. But the man himself has an great record of his own, having led major strikes for state-enterprise workers. We have had party leaders who are technocrats, from the military, businessmen or simply career politicians, so having someone like Somsak on board is a breath of fresh air.

Apart from having to fight off the labels, Somsak has the other enormous task of countering accusations that the PAD is a movement of the elite, for the elite. Though his background is quite different from those of other party leaders, it still needs more than a hard-core labour leader to change the overall perception of the new party.

Somsak's name was associated with a few major railway strikes in the past, as well as vociferous campaigns against "privatisation" plans for state firms. Behind the kindly uncle look, Somsak is someone who spent much of his adolescence with bandages plastered on his face from his love of boxing. He was also very good at mathematics, not because he was a diligent student, but because he spent a lot of time gambling. Though his childhood was not too rough, it still kept his feet firmly on the ground and shaped him for the tough times he would face as an adult.

Like many Thais whose political leanings are plagued with irony, Somsak was a leader in the 1992 uprising against the military and later found himself fighting the democratically elected government of Thaksin Shinawatra. The labour movement's support for the PAD was crucial in ousting Thaksin.

Now, though, it's difficult to see him operating as the new party's leader without Sondhi Limthong-kul or Chamlong Sri-muang looming over him. However, it does simplify his agenda: He has to prove that everyone who thinks like this is wrong.