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Later on when I enrolled at Thammasat, I still heard a lot about his reputation as a talented student who engaged in many activities. The most memorable one was his outstanding ability as a debater in the University debating team, which won all University debates for many consecutive years. Elder students told me that the winning team comprised Samak Sundaravej, Chuan Leekpai, and Uthai Pimjaichon. This team won any time they debated. Afterward, these three persons became rhetoric politicians in the parliament and had become prominent politicians up till now.

With his outstanding ability in public address, Khun Samak managed to win elections for MP any time he ran. The election result that stunned all Bangkokians was when he beat M.R. Kukrit Pramoj, the most respectable political guru, in the Dusit constituency. Samak's popularity reached the peak when he led his Prachakorn Thai party to win 33 out of 36 MP seats in Bangkok. Khun Samak was a politician who was courageous and adhered to his own beliefs. He was known to be a right-wing politician. His right leaning ideology was clearly seen in his television programme and his newspaper articles, which openly opposed the prevalent leftist movements during October 1973 to October 1976. His anti-leftist movement led to his being appointed Minister of Interior in the Tanin Kraivixien's Government. After that government, his clear stance and adherence to his ideology helped him maintain his popularity and he always got elected as an MP. Whenever he joined the government as a minister he always functioned effectively and made great contributions. Whenever he was in the opposition, he also functioned effectively as an opponent who could dig out bad things to shake the government.

Khun Samak was a critical opponent who any government was scared of. However, in the opposition, he once made a major mistake when he hastily disclosed that one minister in the Prem Tinsulanond government opened a bank account with a bank in the US with an implication that the account was opened for some unknown transaction. Khun Samak had a photocopy of the bank statement as hard evidence. However, it turned out that the minister in question never opened the account. Someone mysteriously opened the account in his name with false evidence and false address and sent a photocopy of the bank statement received from the bank to one of the MPs in Samak's party. The bank statement was real, which led Khun Samak to jump to the conclusion and attack the minister who was widely respected for his honesty and integrity. As a consequence, people started to doubt the credibility of Khun Samak's words and his other ongoing attacks on the then prime minister was unsurprisingly discredited and gradually died down.

Khun Samak never left politics. Even though the popularity of his Prachakorn Thai Party declined, his popularity still remained as evidenced by the landslide win in his run for election as the Governor of Bangkok as the Bangkokians, by and large, still believed in his earnestness. In the late stage of his life, being straightforward in expressing his opinion, attacking his opponents with strong words, and criticising media personalities openly led to the decline in his popularity. Being an assertive person, when he liked the performance of any politician, he would give full support without second thought but when he disliked one, he would attack relentlessly. Due to such behaviour, people accused him a great deal. Despite so many accusations, we still cannot deny that Khun Samak was a real McCoy, a professional politician who loved his country not less than any other Thai citizen, and a devoted Thai who had been truly loyal to the Monarchy throughout his whole life.

Until next Monday