The Democrat Party seminar in Phuket over the weekend was a mixture of soul-searching, rethink strategies, admissions of past sins, and a time to remember old friends and allies, among other self-criticism and self-glorification.
Why have all these factors suddenly become necessary for discussion after almost two years in power, during which we have seen a degree of arrogance and two national crises with bloodletting?
The Democrats' painful experience and weird rite of passage - as we all have witnessed - has almost wrecked the country, leaving traumatic consequences that are very hard to heal, despite the ongoing attempt at reconciliation among parties to the conflict.
Not only was the seminar a period for self-reflection, the Democrats also blamed themselves for a distinctive practice, which has become something of a party tradition. That's an expertise in gossiping about other people - an artful flair for the blame game, so to speak.
Of course, the Democrats have achieved political goals time and again through practices such as fishing in troubled waters, opportunism and gaining at somebody else's expense.
Another notorious practice, which has almost become a mindset, is to transform friends and allies into new enemies, for self-serving interest. At the same time, they have the ability to transform political undesirables into dear friends, also for mutual benefit-sharing pursuits.
This ability to create new enemies and break up relationships with friends and allies is unrivalled among arrogant Democrats. Quite a few of them take the quality as personal pride.
This is no surprise. The Democrat Party has been divided into at least four major factions. There is internal rivalry for command and control of the party's war chest. Many of the old guard have been ignored, overlooked, or just downgraded to perform perfunctory tasks for decorative purposes.
This has gone on so that now the party faces the potential risk of being dissolved due to alleged misdeeds in the raising of funds and campaign expenses. Top legal luminaries, including former party leader Chuan Leekpai, now have the task of defending the party against the charges, despite his being kept idle for so long.
The party's new influential overlord, Suthep Thaugsuban, who is even more powerful than leader Abhisit Vejjajiva, sounded almost remorseful during the self-criticism ritual. As deputy prime minister in charge of national security, and controller of the purse strings, he is the real power behind the party boss, and is trying to elevate his status as a kingmaker. His plea for all party members to mend fences and create friendship is based on the fact that a general election could come anytime soon.
The party's wheeling and dealing in mega projects and with the red-shirt movement have increased public mistrust of the party, whose stand and sensitivity on many issues has already taken a heavy political toll.
Abhisit's secretary-general has just given favourable testimony to the Appeals Court to justify the granting of bail to a red-shirt leader to enjoy freedom outside prison. This has enraged the people who suffered most from the red-shirt mayhem during April and May this year.