Suthep will turn reform into charade

The reform-before-election mantra is coming around again but it's questionable if its spell will hold this time.

As a veteran politician who has been through many of these nice-sounding experiments, People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) leader Suthep Thaugsuban must know reform takes forever.

His recent announcement, as chairman of the newly launched Muan Maha Prachachon or "Great Mass of the People" foundation, that he and his supporters would push for reforms to be completed before a new election is held, can only mean that he wants the military government to stay on indefinitely.

The former protest leader could have straightforwardly spelled out his mission.

After trying to shut down Bangkok and forcefully stop people from going to vote in the previous election, it's no more embarrassing to declare loud and clear that he wants the country to be under perpetual dictatorial rule. That way, Mr Suthep could have avoided giving a bad name to national reform.

It's a shame that the process, much-needed for the crumbling country, has been derailed by a lack of vision and the overall inefficiency of the National Reform Council (NRC). It has been more than a year and what has been achieved?

One NRC member, Paiboon Nititawan, has called on the military regime to stay on in power while another, Wanchai Sornsiri, vowed to vote against the draft constitution which will lead to the same result of prolonging the tenure of the Prayut Chan-o-cha government.

What about the sorry state of our country's education? Has anything been done, other than transferring a few officials and having students recite the coup-given 12 core values for Thais?

Or police reform? The last we heard, the Metropolitan Police Bureau chief was insisting that he could refuse an alcohol test when members of the public are not allowed to do so by law.

If we haven't had a clue after a year about how the much-talked-about reform will take shape, there is no hope such a colossal task will be carried out in a few more years.

The National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and Gen Prayut may have had a window of opportunity to pull off the mission during the initial phase of his takeover, when they still enjoyed public goodwill. But at this point, when too many problems have arisen and the military regime has shown it is no better than ordinary politicians at managing conflicting interests or just plain problem-solving, any impetus for reform or any momentum it gained is disappearing.

Mr Suthep's declaration that his foundation will pursue reform will further weaken the process.

Despite it being transformed into a foundation, Mr Suthep's movement can't shed its anti-democratic past.

Its "Great Mass of People" name may sound grandiose and purport to being supported by all members of the public, but the reality is far from the claim.

The PDRC is a controversial movement that played a major role in the country's political conflict. Its leaders have espoused political visions that are at best divisive. Its supporters are mostly members of the traditional elite or Bangkok middle class which do not even come close to representing the ''great mass'' of the country.

What is most ludicrous is how Mr Suthep or the Great Mass foundation can say in one breath that it will push for reform of the country while in another deprive it of democracy.

Essentially, what Mr Suthep has done with the launch of his foundation and the reform-before-election mantra is transform the much-needed process into a charade.

It's sad to see a task that should have benefitted the nation being reduced to a mere facade that cannot even hide Mr Suthep's real aim of providing a support base for the military regime.

What is saddest, however, is both the NCPO and Mr Suthep are likely to do themselves more harm by clinging to each other. In the process, they risk destroying the reform attempt altogether.

We all have brains. The military leaders should have seen clearly that they have more to lose in hanging on to fussy administrative power they are not used to handling. Mr Suthep must have reckoned he and his ultra-conservative mass could cash in and claim a comfortable niche by serving as the military's cheerleaders.

The NCPO and PDRC, however, may have forgotten there are other groups in the country who can rightfully claim they constitute the great mass of people who may not agree with them. These people have brains too and can see clearly what the military and Mr Suthep are up to.

Atiya Achakulwisut is Contributing Editor, Bangkok Post.