An upset in Bangkok elections

BANGKOK — The last time I was in Bangkok, Thaksin Shinawatra had just been deposed by the military while he was abroad. He tried to come back but he was threatened with arrest if he did. His passport was cancelled and it seemed his days as a powerful prime minister were over. He moved from place to place, first in London where it was said he owned a multimillion dollar apartment. He was also once rumored to be in Hong Kong but ultimately settled in Dubai where he continues to live to this day.

But Thaksin’s exile may end soon with the victory of the Pheu Thai party headed by his youngest sister 44-year-old Yingluck Shinawatra in elections last July 1. She was described as a brilliant campaigner winning an absolute majority of 264 out of 500 seats. More than that Thaksin calls her his “clone”. But among my Thai friends in Bangkok, they were forlorn about the victory of Shinawatra’s party. They said Thai politics is back to square one. The struggle continues between the Red Shirts of Thaksin and his followers and the Yellow shirts of the military supported elite and middle class.

A journalist I met during the turmoil of the coup in 2006 said the elite and the middle class were opposed to Thaksin because he gained his power and wealth through corruption. Sooner than later he could outstrip the power of the king through political machinations if he was not stopped. The king was ailing and the issue of succession also came into the picture. The beloved monarch may have been able to hold the country together but the son, pretender to the throne, will not be able to. He was reputed to be a playboy and would not command respect.

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With Thaksin in exile there was a reprieve from the political turmoil of 2006 until last Sunday. Thaksin is back through his youngest sister who will soon be the prime minister. It is a major upset and does not bode well for Thailand in the coming days. It is feared that at the appropriate time the former prime minister will return. So far his arch-enemy — the military — has declared it will accept the election results. But the political situation remains precarious.

While the campaign and election were focused on the exiled former prime minister, political analysts said something else was happening beyond Thaksin.

Last week’s victory was owed to the poor, the bulk of whom lived in the rural areas. This was ominous to those who were used to the hierarchical order of Thai society. The rural poor votes came roaring through to decide who wins and who loses. The masses have found their voice, ventured a watcher of Thai politics.

No matter what was said about the corruption of Thaksin, he championed (or appeared to champion) their cause. In hard times they look to him as the man who cares for them because of his populist programs — free health care, debt moratoriums, support for farmers and cash handouts to villagers.

One report quoted Thitinan Pongsudhirak, director of the Institute of Security and International Studies at Chulalongkorn University: “This is a slap in the face to the establishment for what they’ve done since the military coup in 2006. This is a new Thailand that they must learn to live with.”

In what is considered a referendum-like decision, the people found their voice. “It is about the awakened voices. These people discovered that they can actually have access and be connected to the system,” said Thitinan.

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As a tourist, I am detached from the political turmoil. I am in Bangkok for a few days waiting to take the journey on the Orient Express. It is a birthday gift from my daughter, Veronica Pedrosa of Al-Jazeera. I had always wanted to ride the Orient Express so it is a dream come true. It is a slow train ride ambling along the backside of Asia, through its fields, rivers and mountains and some old townships like Penang and Georgetown.

Every time I visit other countries in Asia, I feel that I am going back to roots. I am able to overcome the feeling of being an outsider because the Philippines is too westernized without a culture or tradition of its own, thanks to more than 300 years of colonialism, first by the Spaniards and then the Americans. The Philippines may have been separated from Asia mainland both in history and geography, but it is not too late to cultivate our roots as Asians. Yet we have a rich pre-historical culture as well as a developed political organization — the barangay — even before the Spaniards came. We were a trading post in Asia’s busy commerce between countries of the region. That rarely visited past resonates in other countries in Asia.

So a must stop in Bangkok for someone like me trying to connect to my Asian roots is to visit the Wat Pho which is known for the huge Reclining Buddha statue. It was closed to tourists on the Monday we came because it’s the day of homage for the Thais. It is described as the largest and oldest Wat in Bangkok built around 200 years before the city became Thailand’s capital.

I have mixed feelings when I witness the reverence the Thais pay to their Buddhist rituals. I am a Buddhist by inclination because of its teachings on peace. At the same time, it has not been impervious to the contemporary violence of worldly struggles. According to a guidebook the gold plated reclining Buddha is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, and designed to signify the passing of the Buddha into nirvana.

It is so enormous that you feel overwhelmed by its size on entry to the Wat. From standing below the gigantic figure one cannot see the feet and the eyes engraved with mother-of-pearl.

Near the Wat Pho by the side of a blue gabled wat is the center for traditional Thai massage. It is taken seriously here. This is where you can get a good massage by those who have studied its medicinal principles. We may think that a massage is a massage as any in a spa but here it means connecting to a past as far back as the reign of King Rama III. The story of massage is inscribed on stone in the walls of Wat Pho.