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)
