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Thailand's Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha attends the coronation procession for King Maha Vajiralongkorn in Bangkok in May. Photo: Reuters
Opinion
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial
Editorial
by SCMP Editorial

Prayuth’s priority must be to rebuild Thailand

  • Compromise and deal-making are unfamiliar territory for the prime minister, but he has no choice if he wants to be seen to govern fairly
Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Thai general who led a coup five years ago and promised to return the country to civilian rule, has steered the process with military precision and kept his position as prime minister. There should be no surprise; a new constitution that was pushed through was designed to prolong power and elections were rife with unfair advantages. But while there is no change to the leadership, the political landscape has been altered. Where once rules and laws were imposed and enacted, the diversity of the lower house of parliament will make the task of getting Thailand back on track challenging.
The upper house, the Senate, ensured Prayuth’s new four-year term, its 250 members having been appointed by the military. But the composition of the 500-seat lower house is the product of the election in March, constitutional court disqualifications and bans and post-poll changes made by the election commission aimed at keeping anti-junta parties from wielding power. The multiparty coalition government the prime minister heads has a majority of just four seats and given the diversity of its make-up and the demands being made, forming a cabinet is proving difficult.

Compromise and deal-making are unfamiliar territory for Prayuth, but he has no choice if he wants to be seen to govern fairly. Society is deeply divided between wealthy supporters of the establishment and people of lower and middle-incomes and easing the polarisation lies in political reconciliation. Then there is the sputtering economy, growth having fallen to 2.8 per cent in the second quarter, the trade war between the United States and China having contributed to declines in exports, investment and tourism. Foreign investors have to be convinced that Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy offers a free, fair and stable business environment.

Greater attention has to also be paid to foreign policy and especially so as Thailand is this year’s chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Its annual summit in Chiang Mai from June 20-23 is an opportunity for Prayuth to lift his country’s profile. There are daunting challenges ahead. But he has a mandate to rule and has to make the most of it to rebuild Thailand.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Prayuth must work to rebuild Thailand
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