Betrayal of voters

re: "No special care for ex-PM" (BP, Editorial, September 4, 2023) and "Fighting to regain the public's trust" (BP, September 4, 2023)

Dear editor,

In their so-called "special report", to use their own tellingly chosen adjective, on Pheu Thai's betrayal of voters, both its own and others', three of the Post's so-called reporters (Mongol Bangprapa, Penchan Charoensuthipan, and Apinya Wipatayotin) begin  by admitting the indisputable (not at all so-called) fact that Srettha Thavisin's government, hobbled together by Pheu Thai and those partying with them, is not what the Thai nation voted for on May 14. As the authors more impartially write, "the result of the May 14 general election was widely seen as voters sending a message that they want change after nine years of national administration led by Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha." 

The three then more partially go no to note that "Pheu Thai's move, harshly criticized by so-called (sic) pro-democracy supporters as an act of betrayal, has raised questions about its trust and integrity and what ethical standards politicians can be held to." These question the so-called journalists pose deserve answers. 

Those answers are obvious. They were obvious to Thai voters on May 14. They entail respect for justice under democracy. The ethical standards politicians can and should be held to are those exemplified by Move Forward. This fully explains Move Forward's popular success on election day. The Move Forward Party's integrity, honour, and standing up for principle to respect the people, especially the 38% who voted for them, refreshingly smash the norms of traditional Thai politics. That Move Forward possesses in plain sufficiency these ethical standards expected of their politicians by a majority of Thai people, some of whom were tricked into voting for Pheu Thai, are also the reason the senate laid the grounds for Pheu Thai and worse to block the people's choice of government. Some cannot abide the thought of a government that would threaten the traditional corruption embedded deep for decades by coup after coup. 

And prompting the Post's extraordinary editorial seeking to mitigate the widespread outrage it has engendered, there was that crowning scene acted out last Friday, September 1, when a tradition-bound trinity came together as Prayut and one like-minded signed off on the crowning jewel of a deal widely suspected to have been hatched by Thaksin himself, for which deal Pheu Thai eagerly betrayed its voters. In so doing, that party has joined the senate in damning in the eyes of the Thai electorate all those involved in this latest affront. But this time they have exposed their true selves in public to a degree that will not be undone, no matter how many saccharine editorials the Post shamelessly publishes to vainly sweeten the rancid aftertaste of what has been forced down the people's throat. 

The silver lining is that support for Move Forward and every one of its policies has likely now soared to new heights as the events of the past three and a half months have opened a lot more eyes that will never again be closed. This is the most pertinent poll that Nida could now run: were there an election held tomorrow, for whom would you vote? That poll must be worth far more than the uninformed speculations of so-called political experts and any number of unfounded claims of so-called "respect".  As a proxy for national feeling, it will be interesting to see how people vote in the upcoming by-election in Rayong on next Sunday, September 10.  

 Felix Qui 

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The above letter to the editor is the text as submitted by Felix Qui to the Bangkok Post.

The text as edited was published in PostBag on Septermber 9, 2023, under the title "Betrayal of voters" at https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/postbag/2644122/double-standards