I can’t say I had given much thought to what the People’s Alliance for Democracy was going to call its new political party (previous New Mandala coverage of the party’s establishment is available here and here). I figured it would simply be the “People’s Alliance for Democracy”. Brand recognition, and all that. But clearly I was wrong.
It turns out they will call it Pak Karn Muang Mai (พรรคการเมืองใหม่ — New Politics Party). Not an unsurprising choice, I suppose, given how much this ill-defined notion has been part of their campaigns to topple a series of elected governments. Now they will be running for election themselves and the voters will be in a position to judge their policies and politicians. How will “New Politics” fare? Will its new name help or hinder its electoral chances?
Of course, in terms of Thai political party brands such “new-ness” has been tried and tested before. In its day, the Pak Kwam Wang Mai (พรรคความหวังใหม่ — New Aspiration Party) was a force to be reckoned with. Such echoes may have crossed the minds of the PAD elders.
They know that “new-ness” has worked well in the past. Dare I remind everyone that the original (successful, famous and arguably unsurpassed) Thai Rak Thai campaign slogan (for the January 2001 election) can be translated as “New thinking, new action — for all Thais”.
This all makes me wonder if New Mandala readers reckon you could come up with a better party name (and associated slogan) for the People’s Alliance for Democracy’s electoral machine. Something really “new”? Or, to re-phrase the question, if you were Sondhi Limthongkul for a day, what would you have called the People’s Alliance for Democracy party?
Feel free to make your suggestions in Thai or English.
8 responses so far ↓
1 Frank G Anderson // Jun 3, 2009 at 11:07 am
3 June 2009
Not to beat a dead horse, but the idea that the PAD did everything they could to topple three democratically elected governments is unfairly overly simplistic, if that is what is being implied. Those three so-called democratically elected governments were nothing short of puppet clones put into office by Thaksin’s machinery – whether that machinery be overwhelming public support for his lying schemes or what many assume to be honest elections.
The PAD, I believe, if we look at the really long term and what Thailand is and has been devoid of, is change to a relatively honest form of government. Of course, in government per se who is going to achieve this?…but on the other hand, let’s not sell the PAD short because they are not in and of themselves the needed change but only part of it.
2 hclau // Jun 3, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Comment #1,
I am glad you can see honesty in the PAD, even though the leadership ( Sondhi etc) are amongst the most corrupt of the corrupt elite.
It just doesn’t fit, no matter which way you want to jam it.
3 tum|bler // Jun 4, 2009 at 9:32 am
I do think it is good, in a way, that the PAD have been very clear about their beliefs and aims, no matter how radical some of them are. Even today, Somsak (the temporary leader of the PAD party) still maintains that some of the MPs should be appointed rather than elected. Somsak also added that three of the most honest PMs he’s seen (Anand, General Prem, can’t remember who’s the other one he mentioned) were appointed rather than elected. While all this sounds ridiculous to me, I still encourage the PAD party to stick to whatever they believe and make sure these issues are mentioned in their election campaigns. It’s a lot better than listening to politicians going on and on with the same boring promises about things that we all know are impossible to happen.
Of course we could argue that the PAD aren’t actually being that honest, like how they haven’t revealed who ‘really’ backs them, etc. But at least, to have a party with some sort of clear agenda on the Thai political scene is a very refreshing thing.
4 tum|bler // Jun 4, 2009 at 9:50 am
Sorry, I was wrong about Somsak. He made that comment (about appointed MPs and honest PMs) back in September 2008, not recently.
5 Ralph Kramden // Jun 4, 2009 at 12:59 pm
tumbler: Somsak also claimed that Thaksin was pretty good early on, and that got Somsak some flak from other parts of the labour movement, especially when he joined up the union May Day rally with the government-organised one. Must have been 2001 or 2002.
Frank: Not sure what your point really is. PAD certainly did its best to get out any government that they thought was Thaksin-related. They said that time and time again. They got over the elected government problem by claiming that elections weren’t everything in a democracy (a claim repeated last week by Sumet Tantivejakul of the king’s men).
The interesting issue for PAD is to reconcile standing for election (if they are not particularly crucial) and develop other aspects of their “new politics” outside the parliament. At the moment they seem a bit half-hearted on this, just saying that the members will have considerable say in policy etc.
6 antipadshist // Jun 14, 2009 at 9:35 am
“free” trade?
according to too many opinions by foreigners living here, there is very little, or nothing, of “free” in the trade as well as all the laws (as land, property ownership, etc) in this “land of smiles”.
and apparently PAD will work hard on making it even LESS “free” – how wonderful and inspiring !
yeah, right – like stabbing police with flag-poles, running them over with cars, shooting taxi drivers in bright day light, blowing up jeeps with bombs stocked inside …
alright, so from all said by him I understand that by “people” he actually means : middle class, “provincial elite” (and whatever other rural lordlings), and mostly in Central region, in and around Bkk.
somehow he doesn’t even bother to include other areas, say, N & NE Thailand (and even South – because it is Dems’ stronghold ?).
oh, and in last answer (Q15) he says that he expects around 5mln party members. also hardly an indicator of genuine efforts to “link up to more people” (of remaining 60mln ).
7 nganadeeleg // Jun 14, 2009 at 10:57 am
Antipadshist: 5 million party members is a pie in the sky figure – forget the other 60 million, if they get 5 million votes let alone that many members, they will be a big player!
A right wing socialist party – New Politics indeed!
8 antipadshist // Jun 14, 2009 at 11:55 am
PAD is back to business, full speed : new logo (swastika is no more), new “timeless” songs, new “fashionable” clothes and other paraphernalia and all sorts of merchandise, new EVERYTHING ! well after all, it is “New Politics”, hey !
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/145962/padhas-many-loose-ends-to-tie
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