Thaksin simply can't afford to relinquish grip on power
With hardly any strong reason to cling on to his seat of power, caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has desperately resorted to arguments with lame excuses, the blame game and twisted logic to fend off critics.
The most formidable challenge to Thaksin's political stability remains the pro-democracy alliance, which plans to lead a huge demonstration to Government House early Tuesday morning in response to an earlier caustic remark that the protesters should stage rallies during the daytime.
Thaksin's bluff through rhetoric will be called on Tuesday. As expected, he will seek refuge in the guise of being on the campaign trail in Ubon Ratchathani province, from where he will conduct the weekly Cabinet meeting by video conference, rather than risk being trapped at Government House.
Amid growing adversity, Thaksin now has only rural grassroots support while the middle-income and top layers of society are against his leadership. More and more, he should feel alienated from the residents in the capital, those who really count and command the loudest voice.
He is spending taxpayers' money - from the pockets of the urban people, of course - to finance his attempt to regain popularity through election campaigns and promises. The Election Commission, with no credibility left, continues to turn a blind eye to Thaksin's flair for crowd-pleasing with public money.
Why does he refuse to resign? Thaksin argues that it would not be a democratic form of politics if he yielded to mob pressure. Resignation would be a betrayal of the 19 million voters who carried him to Government House.
In his heart and soul, Thaksin knows well that if he loses power, there will be a lot of people waiting to settle the score with him after amassing a vast number of enemies of all kinds during the past five years.
Even more likely will be a public demand for the succeeding administration to seize his multibillion-baht assets - if there is anything substantial left by the time he has to leave office, as is widely expected.
There has been speculation that Thaksin is stalling for time because his family members have yet to lay their lands on the Bt73.3 billion in cash from the sale of Shin Corp's stocks, a deal denounced as a wholesale sell-out of national security and assets to Singapore.
Whether the multibillion-baht deal will eventually be consummated later this month depends on the Singapore government's reaction to the increasing intensity of public demonstrations and pressure.
The protesters are also raising the question of national sovereignty after the Thaksin administration allowed Singapore the use of the Udon Thani airbase for two squadrons of F16 jet fighters and to deploy some 4,000 troops on Thai soil.
What happens if the Shin Corp deal with Temasek Holdings collapses? There would be hell to pay for Thaksin, whose family fortune would be at grave risk from a plunge in the stock price and legal action once he loses power.
That's why Thaksin has vowed several times during his election campaigning that he will fight his opponents to the death.
As of now, even if he can survive the adversity, he will not command respect from antagonistic urban residents who view him as a real national problem and a long-term liability, especially after the US State Department came out with yet another negative report on Thailand's human rights during the Thaksin years.
Thaksin must step down now if he still retains some good sense and conscience. His claim of being nationalistic and patriotic is simply a joke. Respectability in the international community is thinning out.
He is already a pariah among people who are wise to his tricks and scheming.
The country does not deserve to be the focus of international attention, particularly of dark humour, which could become abundant soon.
Sopon Ongkara
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