CALD Opens 2013 with Kasit Piromya’s Lecture

The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) started the new year with an engaging roundtable discussion with Thailand’s Shadow Deputy Prime Minister and Member of Parliament Kasit Piromya. Held on 5 January 2013 at the CALD-Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Office, the event was attended by government officials, members of the Liberal Party of the Philippines, alumni of FNF’s International Academy of Leadership (IAF), and members of the academia. Philippine Presidential Adviser for Environmental Protection and CALD Secretary General Neric Acosta moderated the discussion.

The theme centered on “Thailand’s Continuing Political Crisis”, and the lessons that could be learned from recent political developments in this mainland Southeast Asian country. After providing a historical background of the ongoing political crisis, Hon. Piromya proceeded to his main argument: “The nature of Thai politics (at present) changed from democratic competition for governmental power to conflict emanating from two competing ideologies… continuation of constitutional monarchy guided by the principle of separation of powers, or the institution of one-party absolute power based on majority rule in the parliament.”

He then related the recent attempts of the government to push the opposition’s leadership, particularly Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and Former Deputy Prime Minister Suthep Thaugsuban, to agree to government-backed constitutional changes in exchange for the dropping of court charges in relation to then Democrat government’s response to street protests of 2010-2011.

Hon. Piromya was in Manila as an official member of the delegation of Committee on Border Affairs of Thailand’s House of Representatives. The delegation had a briefing at the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on its role in promoting cooperation in Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) and in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), towards the realization of ASEAN Community by 2015.