Date – September 3, 2010

It was not clear whether the “reminder” remark of Puea Thai Party chairman Gen Chavalit Yongchaiyudh made a couple of days ago was aimed at boosting morale or was simply an old man’s rambling.

Gen Chavalit insisted that within this year, there would be a political change and a new election. Therefore, he said every party should prepare for it.

However, it has been about a year since Gen Chavalit joined Puea Thai and announced to be the mediator between different sides. So far there has been no progress. He might have forgotten what he promised, which was a success that he claimed to occur within a period of one year and six months.

Puea Thai said it is natural for the opposition to expect a short term of the government.

The government, however, seems to not worry about the remarks of the two senior political figures and has assigned Thepthai Senpong, Nakhon Si Thammarat MP and spokesman to the Democrat leader, to give a feedback.

“I would ask them to reconsider whether or notit is the right time to make such analysis. It would be more reasonable to say that the election will take place before April 2012 because term of the government will end in 2011 and the government has to handle the general election in the beginning of 2012,” he said.

“I would have to say that the opinions from Puea Thai MP chairman Chalerm Yubamrung, who said that Democrat party would dissolve the parliament before the court would rule in the party dissolution case, were biased and based on his personal beliefs as he was so determined to find the ways to dissolve the Democrat party.”

“However, this is a matter of the future and I insist that an issue relevant to the party will not be used in the administration of the government. The party is willing to face the truth and it is certain that Democrat party will not try to escape the problem like some political party did,” said the spokesman.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva once said that “government will not last to its full term” but coalition party figures such as Banharn Silpa-Archa, advisory chairman of Chart Thai Pattana, told the media that he wanted the government to use up its full term.

Considering the history of the Democrat since the time the current party chief advisor Chuan Leekpai was the government leader, the Democrat would always return to be the opposition bench right after leading an administration.

It is not clear whether the history will be repeated for the Abhisit-led government.

It is normal that the government will try to prolong its term as long as possible, which, in this case, to December 2011, when the four-year term ends. Then, the election will take place at the beginning of 2012, allowing the administration to continue as an interim government.

Whether the government will last long or not, the real point is that it should accomplish something and benefit the country. Otherwise, it will be forgotten once the term ends.