Thai Parliament: The Inside Scoop

Contributions by Chheang Vannarith

 

Why are there so much tension between Cambodia and Thailand? On July 6, 2009 that issue would be explained.  Many people would consider the Thai Parliament to be in good shape. But in fact things aren’t always what they appear to be. 

 

As part of the Dr. Handa Eminent Lecture Series, Dr. Paul Chambers conducted a lecture on “Thai Parliamentary Politics in 2009.” 

 

Dr. Chambers is a Senior Researcher Fellow from Germany. He is doing research on Southeast Asia, in particular focusing on Thai politics. 

 

Dr. Chambers explained how the current Thai Parliament impacts Thailand. He explained the significance of political power. 

 

There are currently five political parties in the coalition government, of which three political parties were newly formed in 2007 and 2008 during the political crisis in Thailand. 

 

First, the Proud Thais Party was founded in 2008 by the former members of the Neutral Democratic Party; the Neutral Democratic Party was founded in 2006 by Somsak Thepsuthin, a former Thai Rak Thai party Cabinet Minister. 

 

Basically, the Proud Thais Party is trying to use similar populist policy like the Thai Rak Thai. However, they are moifying the populist line to reconcile with some criticism posed on the previous party. The Proud Thais party will try to secure votes from the Thai Rak Thai supporters by providing affordable health care, education, and basic infrastructure in the rural areas. 

 

The main opposition is the Thais Party, founded in September 2008. It is a successor party to the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai Rak Thai Party. 

 

According to the Dr. Chambers, the Parliament in Thailand is in limbo. No one can seem to provide a solution to the problem. If Thailand has many problems, then how does Cambodia compare? “The Cambodian political and parliamentary system is much more stable than in Thailand,” states Mr. Chheang Vannarith, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies.

 

As suggested by Dr. Chambers, “the Thai Parliament needs a third party to help solve the problem they are in right now.” A third party could try to encourage economic interactions, create a community in which there is a no zero sum game. Rather than fighting with each other, which could possibly lead to civil war, Thai politicians should reroute their problems to focus on economic interests. This way, the country can promote economic development and stability. trust building.  

 

The situation in Thailand is so fragile. It appears that no single party is dominant. Therefore, without a third party, Thailand will head in a downhill spiral. Mr. Vannarith suggests that “the need for a third party will help provide a win-win situation. The country does not want a win-lose scenario.” 
 

But the question on every UC students’ minds is “How does Thai Politics affect Cambodia-Thailand relations, especially in regards to the border issue.” Many students want to know the future of Thai Politics and its relevance to conflict resolution between Cambodia and Thailand. 

In this regard, Dr. Chambers made it clear that the border conflict between Cambodia and Thailand is mainly caused by Thai’s domestic politics. Thai politicians would like to raise nationalism and use it to gain popularity and gain control of the government, thus exporting conflict to Cambodia.  

 

As a result, Dr. Chambers suggested that the Cambodian government needs to be patient. 

Things aren’t always what they appear to be. What is on the surface is never the same as to what is on the inside.  This lecture showed Cambodians that Thai Parliamentary could not be fixed easily and the future of Thailand is uncertain. 

 

UC students appreciated this lecture on “Thai Parliamentary Politics in 2009.” It gave them all an insight as to what is going on in Thailand. 

 

“Until we understand the domestic issues, we won’t know where the real problem lies.  So, then we can relate it to current Cambodia-Thailand conflict. Unless political conflict in Thailand is solved, we cannot have effective conflict resolution between Cambodia and Thailand” states Mr. Vannarith.