A government of the people should not threaten

Ministers have been getting overly sensitive and protective recently; they should learn some humility

About a week ago, Deputy Prime Minister Plodprasop Suraswadi threatened to arrest protesters who showed up at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Chiang Mai. He compared to them to "garbage", suggesting that there was no place for them and that their concerns and opinions were worthless.

Apparently, the chairman of the Water and Flood Management Commission didn't want to have any unwanted incident at the summit - knowing that the media spotlight would be on him. Perhaps Plodprasop thought he was living in North Korea not in Thailand, where people - well most people at least - value this notion of freedom of expression.

But just as the dust in Chiang Mai had settled, the government found itself with another predicament that demonstrates that they have not learned much about anger management. Bad enough to have Plodprasop calling environmental activists "trash" and behaving dictatorially by threatening them with legal action.

Then, shortly after, the legal experts and big wigs in the Pheu Thai Party went on the record to state that they want to do something about the Guy Fawkes mask phenomenon - Thais or others on social media who oppose the Yingluck government in cyberspace.

What is mind boggling is the why this government is so thin skinned. The Pheu Thai sales pitch often claims it to be a government "of the people and by the people" - a line that they use to justify just about everything that they do, it seems. And yet, they are not willing to tolerate netizens using a well-known movie-based mask as their icon to criticise their work.

There is an old saying: If you don't mind, it don't matter. But apparently, the Pheu Thai people do mind, especially when the criticism involved their dear leader, Thaksin Shinawatra, the de facto leader of the party.

Never mind self respect or integrity, it was important for the Pheu Thai people to be the first to get off the block in defending Thaksin. It would be such a grave sin if they didn't defend his honour with all their might. Perhaps they are concerned that the

V-mask group could get out of hand and take their anti-government campaign from cyberspace and onto the streets. We have this before with the Yellow Shirt movement when a media personality went from old buddy of Thaksin to become one of his worst

enemies.

Today, this movement has hit a major roadblock as their leaders are facing criminal charges, something that confines their activities on the ground, not to mention that the move also faces a credibility problem.

But with the legal threat from the Pheu Thai leaders, it has become clear that not even cyberspace is a safe place for anybody wishing to voice criticism of the government's policies and activities, especially ones that centre around saving Thaksin from facing his criminal charges.

Anti-government movements around the world involve democracy to suit their needs. What sets Thailand apart with political action groups here is the level of hypocrisy. Supporters of the Pheu Thai Party cited democracy when they were in the opposition but now look the other way when their opponents are threatened with legal action and a possible clampdown.

Instead of showing anger and paranoia, perhaps the Pheu Thai Party should try a little humility and dignity. This shouldn't be too much to ask, especially if one claims to be a government for the people, of the people and by the people.

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Article source: http://www.thethailandlinks.com/2013/06/02/a-government-of-the-people-should-not-threaten/