Editorial: Rally retorts a childish tactic
Political tension has intensified and could escalate into violence unless all the parties show restraint. The country encountered these difficulties after government MPs adopted legal tricks to delay the parliamentary process to rewrite the 2017 constitution at the end of last month.
Currently, even though an extraordinary joint parliament session has agreed to convene, it remains unclear whether the charter rewrite bills will be deliberated.
It may still be too late for the government after the anti-government protesters gave Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha an ultimatum to resign or dissolve the House.
When Gen Prayut insisted that he would not resign as demanded, the protesters announced they would escalate their campaign. Given the rising tensions, the government needs to remain patient while the rallies are still peaceful.
Unfortunately, instead of an all-out effort to ease tension, the ruling Palang Pracharath Party (PPRP) has fuelled it by asking its MPs to organise activities in their constituencies to show loyalty to the monarchy and support for the government.
Sanhapot Suksrimuang, PPRP’s Nakhon Si Thammarat MP and deputy party spokesman, said the party’s extraordinary meeting on Thursday resolved to have all members and MPs hold such activities in their constituencies.
They could do so by organising gatherings of people wearing yellow shirts in their areas like those recently seen in Chon Buri and Narathiwat provinces, he said.
The activities will demonstrate there are many people who love the royal family and are ready to protect the palace, according to Mr Sanhapot.
Even though party spokeswoman Patcharin Sumsiripong later denied the reports, saying Mr Sanhapot’s remarks were a personal view and not yet a party edict, it is still a reflection of the attitude of many politicians in country’s ruling party.
The childish tit-for-tat of organising one rally to counter should be beneath anyone whose job it is the govern the country responsibly as it would risk provoking confrontations and violence.
On Thursday, a group of people wearing yellow skirmished with student protesters at Ramkamkaeng University in Hua Mark, Bangkok, causing some injuries.
It is obvious the yellow-clad group is being organised to counter the student group.
Some among them were later identified as members of groups under cabinet ministers and key people in the government.
There is nothing wrong with government supporters or royalists wanting hold demonstrations of their own to show loyalty to their cause but such gatherings should be arranged by other members of the group rather than stage-managed by government politicians who should be looking at the bigger picture.
Instead of thinking about organising mobs to counter anti-government protests, those MPs in charge of administrating the nation for the benefit of all, not just their own support base, should focus on better performing their duties during this time of multiple crises.
It’s the responsibility of the MPs, in addition to making laws, to help people and solve problems in their constituencies, especially while some areas, many in the Northeast, are still being battered by storms and floods.
This is the kind of immediate threat to life and livelihoods these MPs should be spending their time trying to mitigate instead of irresponsibly proposing further protests as a solution to protests.