Among the myriad criticisms and insults that have been hurled at caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, inaction is not one of them. Even as his embattled Thai Rak Thai party faces a potential dissolution and his wobbly premiership appears doomed, Mr Thaksin remains energetic. His recent controversial, abrupt visit to Burma for an unannounced meeting with its rogue military government generated a cloud of suspicion and protocol infractions. He is now poised for a similar visit to Cambodia and to Thailand's northeast region for a disguised electioneering tour with government largesse to dispense.
Most of Mr Thaksin's recent actions as caretaker prime minister have limited international repercussions. They have elicited domestic criticism and added to the legitimacy crisis Mr Thaksin has faced over the past eight months. The same cannot be said for two crucial events that appear set to tarnish Thailand's international reputation. One is Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai's longstanding bid to succeed Kofi Annan as the United Nations secretary general, while the other is the official commercial commencement of Suvarnabhumi airport.
When Mr Surakiart launched his drive to become UN secretary general more than a year ago, it was devoid of domestic consensus. The Thaksin government unilaterally forwarded Mr Surakiart's candidacy amid foreign policy momentum that revolved around the Asia Cooperation Dialogue, the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, and a clutch of bilateral free-trade negotiations. A UN secretary general from the Thaksin cabinet would be seen as a crowning achievement for Mr Thaksin's foreign policy success and regional statesmanship. Instead, Mr Surakiart's bid has turned out to be a spectacular flop.
Obsessed with posturing and exploiting first-mover advantages, the Thaksin team behind Mr Surakiart's candidacy fooled themselves into believing that being first off the block could out-manoeuvre and overwhelm rivals, thereby reaching the finish line before the rest. Thailand's political capital was leveraged to gain Asean's backing for Mr Surakiart. Earlier this year, the government repeatedly fooled itself by counting countries that expressed vague support out of diplomatic courtesy for Mr Surakiart. The Foreign Ministry insisted that some 100-odd countries were behind Mr Surakiart, as if the UN were a one-man, one-vote electoral system.
Now the Thai people must grapple with Mr Surakiart's poor showing after more than a year of expensive campaigning and expended diplomatic resources. As the first mover to enter the fray, Mr Surakiart came in third out of four initial candidates in a straw poll among UN Security Council members. Faced with a huge loss of face, Mr Surakiart's support cast remains unwilling to face up to the inevitability that their candidate's chances have been dimmed terminally. They are telling the Thai people to demonstrate their patriotism by sticking with the Surakiart candidacy when they failed to seek domestic support prior to the bid. And they are still counting on Asean's backing when Southeast Asia's regional grouping could forward a more workable alternative who might actually secure the top UN post.
Mr Surakiart's unworkable candidacy is a reflection of the Thaksin government's hubristic overreach, a gross overestimation of its international stature and ignorance of its foreign policy liabilities, particularly on human rights issues and acquiescence to Burma's military government.
Despite such dire prospects, the government and Mr Surakiart's team are still unwilling to withdraw from the race, staking Thailand's reputation on the line. Mr Surakiart's graceful exit is still possible if it is spun as a sacrifice for a more acceptable Asean candidate who can wade in and gather sufficient international support at the top echelons where it counts most.
The Thaksin government is also playing a brinkmanship game with the imminent opening of the new airport. When sceptics raised questions of operational preparedness and international certification, Transport Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal insinuated that a nearby country was trying to prevent the airport's opening in an effort to undermine Thailand. To be sure, no country can keep Thailand's new airport from opening. At issue is when and under what conditions.
Mr Thaksin's unilateral declaration of Sept 28 as the official opening date appears suspect. It also puts Thailand's reputation on the line on unjustifiable grounds. If the date lapses or the commencement of commercial flights turns out disastrous due to a lack of proper preparations, Suvarnabhumi airport will surely become the object of adverse news headlines and the butt of jokes. Most important, Mr Thaksin is putting people's lives in danger and public safety at risk by his hasty decision.
The caretaker leader's haste is also suspect because of the timing of the new election, which is set for Oct 15, just over two weeks after Mr Thaksin plans to open the new airport with undoubted fanfare. A host of corruption scandals at the airport have not been addressed adequately, including the procurement of CTX explosives-detection scanners, baggage trolleys, and ground handling services. Vendors who will operate at the new airport need a minimum of three to six months to ensure a smooth transition.
Airlines also need a decent interval to ensure their operational readiness. The future of the current Bangkok International Airport at Don Muang, a northern Bangkok suburb with a convenient toll road connection to downtown and passenger handling capacity near the level of Suvarnabhumi Airport, has not been addressed, except the government's inexplicable insistence on its permanent closure.
A delay in the opining of Suvarnabhumi airport may be a lost opportunity for Mr Thaksin, but it would not be the end of Thailand's aviation and tourism industries. The existing Don Muang airport is creaky and overcrowded in peak hours, but it can still handle passenger traffic during the several months that are needed to open the new airport safely and reliably. Mr Thaksin, especially in his capacity as caretaker prime minister without a fresh mandate, should stop playing these brinkmanship games at the country's expense.
Thitinan Pongsudhirak is assistant professor of international political economy with the Department of International Relations, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University.