Today the wait has come to an end when the new Thailand Prime Minister has been appointed by His Majesty the King. It wasn’t too big a surprise as there had been a lot of speculation over his possible appointment and people are apparently quite content with his arrival. Even the relatively well educated population in Bangkok seem to have welcomed his appointment. Besides, the King seems to like him and that’s probably why there’s been overwhelming support for him.
His name is Surayud Chulanont, aged 62. He’s a retired army officer and adviser to King Bhumipol. He’s widely respected by military, civilian leaders as well as the general population. He’s generally believed to be the cleanest and least corruptible political figure Thailand has at the moment. Before his retirement two years ago, he had clashed on several occasions with Toxin accusing him and his administration of systematic corruption and dodgy business dealings in public, gaining a lot of support from anti-Toxin fans.
He’s an enthusiastic supporter of the fight against corruption that seems fully integrated with Thai politics. Unfortunately, he never had a major political role because of his military position but he’s still renowned for his active external participation. I still remember a few years back when Thailand had a row with Burma over the Burmese minorities living along the borders and he sorted things out for everyone by setting up a big refugee camp for those refugees who have since been living in Thailand.
Despite his limited political role, he won more and more popularity from the Thai people. According to a recent survey before his appointment, Bangkokians regarded him as an appropriate choice. They said Thailand was desperate for domestic reconciliation and he was ideal for that. They were right.
I watched his swearing in ceremony on TV this afternoon and was impressed with his ability to answer questions by various journalists. Unlike Toxin, he takes things more seriously and never wastes time talking bollocks. He may not sound as talkative and entertaining as the deposed PM but everyone is aware of his sincerity and friendliness. It’s also a bit of a surprise to me that he didn’t mind answering a question in English to a foreign journalist and to be fair I thought he spoke better English than Toxin too.
I truly believe he’s the sort of leader that we can trust in time of crisis like this. He’s extremely skilled and experienced in many respects and I’m delighted he did the right thing by coming out of retirement to fill the vacancy. Obviously 12 months is not quite enough but hopefully he’ll be able to resolve the political differences for everyone. Though slagging off politicians is one of my favourite pastimes, on this occasion I reckon this guy is an exception, rather decent and respected, and I wish him well and look forward to his input.