Thai Prime Minister ousted because of Cooking Show

[grantcart]

Over the past few months Democracy advocates, students, unionists and the entire population of Bangkok has been 100% set against the democratically elected Prime Minister. Why? Because he is a puppet who is simply a front for the deposed Billionaire Taksin.

The reason that democratic forces are trying to oust a democratically elected PM is that a deep division has developed between the urban and middle class that is active in political life and the poor in the North and Northeast that sell their votes (I have relatives that regularly sell their vote).

Yesterday Samak's own party removed him from his position as party leader. This followed the Supreme Court ousting him as Prime Minister, not for any of the serious charges that have been levelled against him but because he appeared on a cooking show while Prime Minister (he has been on the show for years) and recieved a small honorarium for the effort.

Samak has been a charlatain in Thai politics for 30 years and came to national prominence when he spearheaded public moves to label student and professors who were fighting an extreme right wing government in the 70's as communists. I had friends and professors who had to leave the country to save their life because of the right wing hysteria that he generated.

It is like the FBI taking out a mobster because of tax evasion, or more like jaywalking and makes sense only in the Thai context where if you fight the generally held public sentiment then you have to resign, too bad we couldn't have gotten rid of Bush/Cheney the same way.


Here is an update on his ouster

from the Bangkok Post

http://www.bangkokpost.com/topstories/topstories.php?id=130619

The Constitution Court unanimously decided to strip Samak Sundaravej of the office of prime minister on Tuesday for violating Constitution Article 267, which forbids a minister to be a partner in a profit-seeking enterprise or an employee of such an enterprise, noted a Thai Rath editorial.

But it is still up in the air as to whether the court's decision will be in effect for the long term, as several MPs of Mr Samak's People Power party (PPP) came out immediately after, and even before, the court announced its decision to say that they would nominate him to become prime minister again.

These MPs believe Mr Samak's name can be submitted for PM because he has not been stripped of his MP status. However, many wonder if this would not run against the spirit of the Constitution.

Immediately after the Constitution Court gave its verdict at 15.35 on September 9 to strip Samak Sundaravej of his prime ministerial position for accepting remuneration for the TV cooking shows Tasting While Complaining and Six O'Clock Parade, Mr Samak's tenure as the government leader ended, noted a Matichon editorial.



And here is an update of Samak finally giving up future party leadership

Ousted prime minister Samak Sundaravej ended his campaign to regain his position on Friday - and street protesters of the People's Alliance Democracy vowed to step up their campaign to overthrow the rest of the government.

Mr Samak's decision was revealed yesterday by Theerapol Nopparampa, his close aide, after he spent about 50 minutes meeting Mr Samak at his home.

Mr Samak asked him to tell PPP members that he has tried his best to protect democracy. He would now end his effort and let the party decide on its own future.

Mr Samak's remarks have led to speculation that he will quit as PPP leader as well.

PPP registration officer Samarn Lertwongrat said he had not been informed about Mr Samak's resignation as party leader.

Mr Samarn said any such move would only take effect when the besieged former prime minister's resignation letter reached the party's secretary-general or himself.

[Ikonoklast]

1. Have you tried one of his recipes?

He's lucky there wasn't an armed insurrection.












:hide:

[grantcart]

3. It would be like eating uncooked meat from Richard Nixon

Are you actually familiar with him or was it just a clever snark.

[Ikonoklast]

6. Actually, from what I've gathered, the show was popular

Just the excuse used to get rid of him.

But with the big money backing him, buying votes overturns the democratic process.

Sorta like here.

I wish Bush had a cooking show.

[grantcart]

7. Most middle class and educated people find him impossible to watch

because he has a style kind of like O'Reilly he just talks on and on without reason or fact and is a bully without substance.

in the 70s he was interrior minister and did a few good things like building dormitories for policeman in Bangkok so that they could survive on their low salary. His support in the urban areas has been gone for years.

All of the politicians represent some commercial interest but nobody is as brazen as he was.

[lob1]

4. He has an LSD brownie recipe that is a MUST TRY.

[baldguy]

2. The puppet of a billionaire Texan embarrasses himself on a cooking show?

Can we get rid of McCain now?

[mrJJ]

5. Let the games begin

Thailand is a powder keg. When the Thai King passes away. The Thai Army, Navy, Air Force, and Civillian Police authorities will break up into factions to jockey for power.

[grantcart]

8. All of the Thai institutions have factions including the monarchy

If it passes to the Crown Prince you are right there will be chaos and tremendous instability.

If they skip the generation and go to a privy council then unity could be maintained.

The Crown Prince has so thoroughly discredited himself it is hard to see how he could become King.

I am sure that the King has a preference and has scripted what he would like but the Thai Royal Family is an institution that is larger than any individual and no one can predict what will happen with the different factions. The King has taken steps to cut the courts influence into the government and for the last 15 years has not been involved in picking either the PM, the head of the Army or key cabinet positions as it had in the past.