Forty years passed by since he was firstly elected a parliament member.
Samak Sundaravej, 72, reached the peak of his political career on Monday, taking the post of the nation's chief executive – the Prime Minister – at a parliament meeting.
However, although it was really a long way for him to be the premier of Thailand, the way, from now on, seems longer for the oldest prime minister to take office, since the country is right in a crucial transition.
In terms of politics, the country is still in a turmoil as Thailand just walked out of the shadow of military coup that took place on September 19, 2006. For now, the conflicts among several parties are anfractuous, even in the party alliance led by Samak's People Power Party (PPP). The other five parties are more likely to be keen on the cabinet posts than a common ideal.
Samak's PPP has 233 seats of the 480-seat parliament, which means any policy decided by the government in the future could only pass the parliament voting process with the consent of other five parties.
Moreover, most MPs from the five parties are not friends of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra whom Samak supports. It may remain to be the first and the biggest gap between the PPP and five other parties.
In terms of economy, Thailand's economic growth was the lowest among Southeast Asian countries in 2007. Rising prices, surging Baht, depressed export, dim foreign investment and weak domestic market, these would be Samak's obstacles. How and when Samak will overcome all of these difficulties will decide the new government's fate.
Furthermore, as widely known, Samak is a supporter of Thaksin and Thaksin is also a supporter for Samak. The attitude of Samak on Thaksin's fate will affect Samak's career.
At present, Thaksin, who was ousted during the past military coup, is facing dozens of charges in Thailand. Samak once said he would manage the comeback of Thaksin from his exile, but it could cause the dissatisfaction of anti-Thaksin camp, which includes the middle class and the military.
Samak is also keen to rewrite the book on military coup of 2006. Late last year, Samak said if he won the premiership, he would aim to reverse many of the junta's rulings and policies, including the decision to disband the TRT and to ban 111 former party's executive members from politics for five years. An amnesty may be necessary to pave the way for Thaksin's return to the country, possibly bringing political instability.
Now, for the whole Thailand, it remains to be seen what role, if any, Thaksin will play in the new government.
And also, the Constitution installed by the military after coupis reportedly to be amended by the government. But that may stir complaints from those who benefits from the military-edition Constitution.
Anyway, Samak's future depends on how he handled every sensitive issue he will soon face.
(Xinhua News Agency January 29, 2008)
