Suthichai Live English: What if the Move Forward Party Was Dissolved?
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
5h ago
I went on Khun Suthichai Yoon’s new English show to discuss the current Thai political landscape. We had a great discussion on the Move Forward Party’s impending dissolution, PM Srettha’s record so far, and Thailand’s “COO-State ..read more
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Thailand’s COO-State
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
5d ago
Decades ago, Thaksin Shinawatra liked to talk about his vision of Thailand as a CEO-state. “A company is a country, a country is a company,” he said in 1997. As As Pasuk Pongpaichit and Chris Baker described it, he “claimed the methods of business management were superior to the traditional practice of bureaucracy or government. He lectured the Cabinet on the latest management theory.” He was not just a businessman who became premier; he was the CEO prime minister. Not since Thaksin’s fall from power until now has such a prominent businessman taken the role of prime minister. Srettha Thavisin ..read more
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A Post-Move Forward Political Landscape?
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
As important as the recent decision by the Electoral Commission to seek a dissolution of the Move Forward Party is, it is not surprising in the least. If anything, this decision had seemed inevitable after the ruling by the Constitutional Court that the Move Forward Party, by calling for an amendment of the lèse-majesté law, sought to overthrow the democratic system of government with the King as head of state. Whether or not one agrees with that ruling, once this conclusion was reached there appeared to be little leeway for the Electoral Commission: political parties in Thailand have been dis ..read more
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Growing Thailand’s “Gross National Cool”
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
Of the policies that the various political parties campaigned on during the 2023 general election in Thailand, one that especially raised my eyebrow was Pheu Thai’s “One Family, One Soft Power” policy. It described a proposal where at least one family member from every household have the chance to enter a “creative skills incubation center” at no cost.  The merits of such a policy can be debated. The name, on the other hand, is to me unambiguously bad. It is confusing. It misuses a key term. And it hints at a deeper problem: a lack of conceptual clarity on what “soft power” is and how it ..read more
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Move Forward Stands at the Brink of Dissolution
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
Political tensions in Thailand have escalated following a court ruling that could potentially lead to the dissolution of the Move Forward Party over charges stemming from its campaign to amend the country’s lèse majesté law. (Co-authored with Dr. Napon Jatusripitak) Click here to read the full piece at Fulcrum. (Cover image credits ..read more
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The Success of a Salesman
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
Back in October, Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin argued that he does not merely want people to see him as a prime minister, but as a businessman. “I’m a salesman. I have to sell Thailand’s great products and build investors’ confidence. It’s my duty and mission as the No 1 salesman of the country,” he told a forum hosted by Krungthep Turakij.  The “national salesman” personal branding is not necessarily a new concept. Indeed, it was most recently used by former commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit in the previous government. What does feel new, of course, is the intense focus that any pri ..read more
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Suthichai Live: A Tale of Two Democracies
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
I was on Suthichai Yoon’s ‘Suthichai Academy Think Tank’ livestream to discuss urban-rural dynamics in Thai politics with Dr. Anek Laothamatas and Dr. Napon Jatusripitak. (This talk was in Thai ..read more
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A New Tale of Two Democracies?
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
In a new article published in Contemporary Southeast Asia, Prof. Allen Hicken, Dr. Napon Jatusripitak and I take a new look at Dr. Anek Laothamatas’ famous theory of Thailand being “a tale of two democracies.” Rural and urban voters have now converged in significant ways, but there is still a distinct divide between densely populated urban areas and sparsely populated rural areas. Thailand’s constituencies have become similar to fried eggs, with the egg yolks and egg whites behaving differently. A snippet of our findings: Using population density as a proxy for urbanization, we found that sup ..read more
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Thailand in 2023: Conservatism in Disarray
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
When Prayut Chan-o-cha was prime minister, he penned at least ten singles. None, of course, was more famous than his debut with “Returning Happiness to the People,” a song that was endlessly played on the airwaves in the aftermath of the 2014 military coup.  His other singles garnered relatively little attention. One of those relatively neglected songs was a piece called ‘Saphan’ (“Bridge”), which was apparently inspired by one of Prayut’s favorite songs, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ by Simon & Garfunkel. “I’m ready to be a bridge,” the lyrics go, “so that you can cross over to the en ..read more
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The Strength of Party Brands at the 2023 General Election
Ken Lohatepanont Blog
by Ken Lohatepanont
1w ago
Thailand’s election season is notorious for bringing out a tsunami of election banners that are stuck on every possible tree and electrical pole. But in the past election, a voter might be forgiven for feeling lost while trying to digest this potentially rich source of information for voter preferences. Thailand’s 2023 banners were interesting because they often contained photos not only of a local candidate but also of the party’s prime ministerial candidate. In addition, the banners displayed a dizzying array of numbers — mostly sums of money attached to the various policies the parties were ..read more
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