PM swears loyalty to the King
 The Nation
November 27 , 2005 - In a tactical move to reverse his popularity slide and to show his loyalty to the monarchy, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday called on the Thai people to wear yellow shirts and celebrate His Majesty the King’s 60th anniversary on the throne.
In his weekly radio address, Thaksin said he had set December 1 as the date to begin the celebrations, at Sanam Luang, where he would take part in a religious ceremony to pray for the Three Gems (the Lord Buddha, the Dharma and the monks). Then he would be leading a ceremony to pledge allegiance and offer blessings to the King.
“The event will begin at 4pm. Anybody who has a yellow shirt, please wear it. I am the first prime minister to be born during the reign of King Rama IX. I think the Thai people are very lucky to have our King, who is enjoying the longest reign,” Thaksin said.
Perhaps ironically, thousands of people attending weekly anti-Thaksin talk shows hosted by media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul at Lumpini Park wore yellow shirts emblazoned with the message: “We’ll Fight for the King”.
The PM also stressed his loyalty to the King while chairing a religious ceremony at a temple in Yala yesterday. “I regard His Majesty as my commander, both legally and spiritually,” he said.
Thai politics are approaching a delicate juncture. There have been attempts to link the monarchy with the ongoing conflict between Sondhi and the prime minister.
Some groups of people are beginning to think too that Thai democracy is in a deadlock and are considering asking the King to promulgate a new constitution. Thaksin is now facing the most critical challenge to his premiership in five years in power, with the Sondhi-led movement lambasting corruption, conflicts of interest and cronyism in the government.
Sondhi has charged that Thaksin committed lese majeste when he presided over a ceremony in April this year inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha to ward off bad luck and ill omens from the country. The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is Thailand’s most sacred temple, mainly used by the Chakri Kings and Royal Family members to conduct religious affairs.
However, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam has argued that Thaksin and the Cabinet members participating in that religious event inside the Temple of the Emerald Buddha had gone through the proper protocol.
Sondhi also claimed that the government had erred in usurping the Royal powers relating to the appointment of the Supreme Patriarch.
His Majesty the King is due to celebrate his 60th anniversary on the throne on June 9. Celebrations of this auspicious event will begin in January. All the kings and queens of 28 countries in the world have been invited to attend on June 9.
However, it appears that the prime minister is now seeking to start the celebration of His Majesty the King’s 60th anniversary on the throne on December 1 as a token of his loyalty to the monarchy. |
