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| PAD leader Sondhi Limthongkul knows that his leverage to power lies with street mobs and not with organised politics. |
28/01/2011
Suranand Vejjajiva
Bangkok Post
The People’s Alliance for Democracy has been at centrestage of national politics since 2005 through protest rallies to overthrow the government of then prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. It successfully brought about the military’s coup d’etat of Sept 19, 2006 and Thaksin’s long exile. The PAD was also instrumental in destroying the legitimacy of the government of Thaksin-backed People Power Party – which handily won the general election of 2007 – by occupying Government House and forcing the closure of Suvarnabhumi Airport.
However, successive administrations which were in alliance with the PAD in getting rid of Thaksin and his influential network, both the post-coup interim military government of Gen Surayud Chulanont and the present Democrat-led coalition of Abhisit Vejjajiva, never shared enough political power with the PAD. Some PAD affiliated personalities were appointed to the interim Parliament, the constitution drafting committees and subsequently as senators under the new constitution. At the same time, many projects were wheeled out. However, altogether they were considered marginal compared to what the military men and politicians divided among themselves.
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