OLD VS THE NEW: Battle for TRT Chiang Mai stronghold seen as

Published on December 08, 2004

litmus test for ruling party’s popularity

The Chiang Mai election campaign is more than the familiar confrontation of Thai Rak Thai versus the Democrats. In the battle for the ruling party’s most significant stronghold it is also a stand-off between the old political clans and the new.

The Democrat challengers belong to the blue-blooded na Chiang Mai and Nimmanahaeminda families who have dominated the political scene here for a century or more. Thai Rak Thai, meanwhile, is spearheaded by the heavyweight Shinawatra family, still relative newcomers to the scene.

Apart from its standing MPs, the Shinawatra family is also fielding Prime Minister Thaksin’s youngest brother Payap in constituency 2, currently held by his sister Yaowapa Wongsawat.

The high profiles of the contesting families has led observers to regard the election as an acid test of the ruling party’s grip on power.

The Democrats welcomed two members of the na Chiang Mai clan – Kingkan and Duantemduang – on board after the whole family was dumped by Thai Rak Thai. Together with Suppachai Nimmanhaeminda, cousin of former finance minister Tarrin, the Democrat Party considers them a formidable challenge to the premier in his own backyard.

TRT controls nine out of the province’s 10 constituencies, leaving only constituency 9 to the Democrats.

In the TRT landslide victory four years ago, five-time former MP Thawatwong, two-time MP Kingkan and new entry Captain Duantemduang all lost under the now-defunct New Aspiration banner – not because their TRT rivals were stronger but because of “Thaksin fever”, which had gripped Chiang Mai residents who wanted local boy Thaksin to be the first premier from the province.

Thaksin’s popularity carried many little-known TRT candidates along in its wake. It was the first time that Chiang Mai had voted for a party and its leader rather than for individual candidates in their constituencies.

The province had never been loyal to any particular party, and it was usually evenly shared by candidates from various parties.

Observers predict that the upcoming general election will show that Thaksin fever has subsided.

Chiang Mai’s farmers have been badly hurt by the flood of cheap farm products that have swept into the country as a result of the TRT government’s free-trade agreement with China, observers say.

Moreover, TRT MPs in several constituencies have reportedly squandered the credit voters gave them in the last election, facing complaints that they have not looked after their constituents well enough. This is especially the case in constituency 8, which the Democrats’ Suppachai is contesting, and where the TRT now views its standing

MP Panitra Pakkasem as a grade-B candidate.

There is a chance that, with their infatuation over, voters will go back to their old ways and support individual, well-known candidates.

But Udonpan Janviroj, a former president of Chiang Mai’s Provincial Administrative Office, said both the Nimmanahaeminda and na Chiang Mai families have less political clout than the Shinawatras. Both will have to rely heavily on the Democrat network in the province and their past performance in politics.

“Kingkan has the advantage of having twice been elected with her husband’s support, and Suppachai has been working closely with people in constituency 8 for over a decade when serving as local administrative assistant,” Udonpan said.

“Nonetheless it’s a difficult job for both families,” he said, adding it was now up to the Chiang Mai voters whether to back the political domination of TRT or to strike a balance in the North.

Kingkan will contest her old constituency 4, which has already sent her to Bangkok twice.

Her daughter, meanwhile, will run in constituency 1, once the stronghold of her father. Suppachai, on the other hand, is counting on the support of his cousin Tarrin.

The prestige of their families may not be everything anymore, but their backgrounds combined with a possible swing in political sentiment still makes them formidable challengers to the ruling party.

Thanyaporn Kunakornpaiboonsiri

The Nation

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