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If the polls are correct, Thailand is about to elect its first female prime minister. Businesswoman
Businesswoman and political novice Yingluck Shinawatra announced she was running for the top office in the
land less than 2 months ago. A short run, but almost immediately showing that she had
star power on the streets.
She's got the crowds, she's got the media on her trail, and as the
election finishes, it appears she may well have the numbers in parliament as well.
Are you feeling confident, only a few days to go?
I think we are getting a very good response from the people. Hopefully, we can get them
to vote in the election.
But Yingluck has some baggage too. She's the sister of Thaksin Shinawatra - exiled prime
minister, convicted criminal and probably the most divisive figure in the past decade
of Thai politics.
Do people like you because they like Thaksin?
People like my brother and because I am his sister people will accept me easily but along
the way if I don't be myself and I don't show how I will be the leader and run the party
or if I am lucky and be in the government so I can run the country, so I must show my
ability with the people.
Yingluck's Puea Thai Party knows its target audience well. In various party incarnations,
its support base has always been small rural farmers and the urban poor. And its offers
to them always outstrip the other parties with more middle class appeal.
In the past, your aged pension was 500 baht per month, right? But if our party becomes
the government, at 60 years old, you will get 600. At 70, you will get 700. At 80, you
will get 800. If you are 90, you will get a whole thousand.
Whoever lives till 120 years, they will get 5000.
A big round of applause to the first female PM in waiting in Thai history --
give her a big cheer!
Yingluck may bridle at the suggestion that she is just a front for her exiled brother
but the party's slogan "Thaksin thinks. Yingluck acts", doesn't help to prevent that impression
- nor does her standard greeting to the crowd.
Brothers and sisters, I am here to tell you today, that I am the youngest sister of our
PM Thaksin Shinawatra. I would like to know... do you miss our PM Thaksin?
Yes we do!
Is there a danger that you're too close to him? Will the people of Thailand be getting
Yingluck as a leader or will they be getting your brother as the leader of the country?
Okay. The fact is I am his sister so I can use the benefit as the sister, and the logical
system and management and his vision from him. So we'll get the good things from this
but for me, I will be myself to make the decisions.
I mean, there is this slogan, "Thaksin thinks and Yingluck acts", what does that mean?
It means that Thaksin also has good idea and has done some good things for the country
so why not take his ideas and use his ideas from the past to give us the information but
finally the decision will be my own way, on my shoulders -- my leadership.
I want to tell you that your voice touched his heart and he is missing you all very much.
Until deposed in a coup in 2006, Thaksin Shinawatar led a government that undeniably helped the
poor get a little richer and himself and his family massively so. He was seen to be against
the elites which in Thailand can also mean, dangerously, to be against the royal family.
Convicted of corruption, sentenced to 2 years gaol, he is now in exile and more than a billion
dollars poorer when some of his assets were seized.
But the government maintains that your real intention is to pave the way for your brother
to return and to return your family assets, $1.5 billion, that that's your intent.
I think we already have the statement, and we do not intend and we do not have the policy
to clear my brother's case or clear his assets.
You're saying your policy is not to give an amnesty but is that a pledge that you will
not give an amnesty to Thaksin?
I will say that amnesty will be a technique but the objective is how we can makeThailand
move forward. How we can help unite Thailand. The way to handle this is we believe in reconciliation....
Include in your brother for all parties?
We will include all parties.....
There'll need to be will be a lot of issues reconciled before large sections of the population
peacefully accept the return of Yingluck's brother.
Last year, Bangkok was overrun with pro Thaksin demonstrators known as the Red Shirts
Including armed militiamen.
Thaksin was accused of being able to turn their actions on and off like a tap. An accusation he denies.
The heart of Bangkok was set ablaze by gangs and 91 demonstrators were killed when the
military crackdown came.
Nattawut Saikua was one of the red shirt leaders and is now Yingluck's regular warm up speaker,
valued for his feisty style.
So in the final round we won't need to throw any punches. Just stay guarded, then a little
jab. Jab, and then we kick them in the face. Keep jabbing. And victory will be ours.
But some of his past speeches are coming back to haunt him, like this one last year before
Bangkokwas set alight.
If they seize power, we'll burn the whole country down.
I do not support anything that is against the law - any people against the law or against
the monarchy, and so we have to handle with the legal process.
Well it seems you are happy to be associated with some people that go against the law -- for
one, your brother went against the law, but at your rallies, the red shirt leader -- Nattawut
- he makes all the speeches before you come on stage. This is a man who called on the
crowd to burn down Bangkok. Should you be standing next to him?
As long as people are fighting for the just, you cannot say who did wrong. That is one
single word and you cannot say people do wrong, right! You need evidence. I never support
the violence and anything that hurt the country.
Reconciliation may lie ahead, but for now, more prosiac politics are at play, and Yingluck
is proving remarkably adept at playing them.
Our party will bring back the rice mortgage system. How about 15,000 baht a tonne for
paddy rice? And 20,000 baht a tonne for jasmine rice? Are you interested in credit cards especially
for farmers?
It hasn't been a good campaign for serving prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva but he begs
to differ. Possibly even more so than Yingluck has, Abhisit has turned this campaign into
a virtual referendum on Thaksin Shinawatar.
We have solved many problems, we have started many policies that benefited you, the people.
He asks rhetorically whether Thailand really wants a billionaire criminal to return. A
man accused of crippling the nation with violent protests to advance his own interests. He
seems a little stunned that the answer from many Thais seems to be - yes.
It's been a pretty cool reception on the street, how does that feel?
No. It's been very warm.
During your campaign speeches, you don't talk much about Yingluck at all, only Thaksin,
why is that?
Because he is running a campaign, Thaksin thinks that they are there to carry out his
thoughts.
Members of your party have called members of her party, terrorists trying to get into
parliament - do you think that is fair?
Because they have been charged with terrorism and they have been actively involved in violence
in the last couple of years.
All of that may be true, but it seems Thaksin and now his sister, still have appeal.
Throughout the campaign it is becoming apparent that Thaksin still has a lot of popularity
amongst the poor as does Yingluck, it seems a little bit ironic I guess - they are both
billionaires, why do the poor support?
They like some of the policies that he initiated. We have carried on some of those policies
-- we have a lot of policies that the poor also like......Farmer income guarantee, free
education and senior pension. We are now making a difference and a distinction between Thaksin
the Prime Minister and Thaksin the man.
The prime minister gave them a lot of good policies but they have been carried on and
we have got new policies that help the poor people but Thaksin the man has been engaged
in causing instability here.
And if they do win, what does that mean for Thailand?
Well, I am concerned about the instability it might cause. They will be thinking about
Amnesty, a white washing, all very controversial and the Thai people in the country will lose
a golden opportunity to build on the recovery that we have engineered.
Whatever the political outcome this weekend, there is a strong mood that it all may be
moot if the military and conservative interests don't approve. A point not lost on Yingluck
even as she announces her party's sports policy.
Most importantly, sports helps people to learn to respect the rules, learning how to win,
lose and forgive. This is the benefit of sports.
They are also noble values in politics - not always followed in Thailand, where courts
or tanks regularly overturn election results.
The military deposed your brother, I imagine they are not impressed to see his movement,
his party, his sister come back into power. Are you concerned about what the military
are thinking about your party at the moment and the prospect of you forming government?
I think General Prayuth Chanocha has already announced that he will be neutral and he will
be supporting us to see the respect of the people for the elections. I will trust him
as a gentleman.
Do you have confidence in the Army? It is hard to believe in the gentlemanliness?
I think Thailand has been backwards for five years, people are suffering after the coup
happened so I don't think they can do it again -- that's the first reason. Secondly, we need
all internationals to help Thailand. To help to install democracy back.
The coming hours may see whether Thailand elects its first female prime minister. If
so, the real test may be whether she survives the coming weeks. If helped into power
by her brother, she'll now inherit all his enemies too.