Unifying Thailand: Yingluck Shinawatra finalises her cabinet
Zoe Daniel reported this story on Saturday, July 9, 2011 08:12:00ELIZABETH JACKSON: Thailand's incoming prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra is already fobbing off rumours that she plans to give her exiled brother Thaksin an ambassador role when she properly takes office.
The prime minister elect is busy finalising her cabinet and a coalition deal with smaller parties but she's had to deny speculation that she plans to give ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra a roving trade envoy role from his base in Dubai.
The redshirt-backed opposition party won a decisive victory in last weekend's election, but now the hard work begins for Yingluck who has the difficult task of unifying a divided nation.
Our Southeast Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel reports.
ZOE DANIEL: On election night the anti-government red shirts were ecstatic in their celebration of the opposition's election win.
The Pheu Thai Party won a resounding victory with enough seats to govern in its own right and more than a hundred seats more than the incumbent Democrat government. It's since formed a five-party coalition with smaller players which effectively cuts the Democrats out as a player at all, at least for the moment.
Prime minister elect Yingluck Shinawatra is now grappling with the task of forming government without being overshadowed by her brother Thaksin who is not even in the country.
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Election won because of myself and also Pheu Thai Party policy.
ZOE DANIEL: Former Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup in 2006. He was subsequently convicted in absentia on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated. But his opponents accuse the billionaire businessman of running the country as if it was his family business empire and ignoring the rule of law. Yingluck is going to have to try to dispel concerns that she's merely his proxy.
You continue to battle the perception that you are Khun Thaksin's puppet. How are you going to shake that?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: I think please give me the chance and the time pass by for me to proven all the thing and how we implement.
ZOE DANIEL: Initially appointing her to lead the opposition seemed like a bizarre move, but it proved a brilliant strategy as Thaksin's supporters came out to back her.
SUPPORTER (translated): He is in my heart, Thaksin is in my heart. I think this party is belonged to people.
ZOE DANIEL: Seemingly she's also attracted a new support base from those who appreciate her deliberately feminine, softer approach. Already she's had to deny rumours that Thaksin would become a Thai trade envoy on the outside. Mooted plans to bring him back via an amnesty eventually, will be even more controversial.
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: We have to do for the whole country and make sure that everyone would get the same treatment.
ZOE DANIEL: What does that mean? Are you still going to look at an amnesty or not?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: My brother will be one of the people who has to get the same, the same basis.
ZOE DANIEL: Is there a concern though that even if you get to that point you may have done so much work on reconciliation, yet bringing him back will just divide the country again?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: No, I think that we have to set the opportunity that we have to push for me to make sure that Thailand can move forward, by unite Thailand. So this is the key thing in the framework, that the committee will discuss together.
Not just only the purpose to bring my brother, because he already mentioned, don't concern about himself, and I cannot do anything for just himself, because I devote myself for the country, so I have to do for the country.
ZOE DANIEL: Yingluck Shinawatra is going to have to find a compromise image which demonstrates that she can think independently too.
In Bangkok this is Zoe Daniel for Correspondents Report.
The prime minister elect is busy finalising her cabinet and a coalition deal with smaller parties but she's had to deny speculation that she plans to give ousted former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra a roving trade envoy role from his base in Dubai.
The redshirt-backed opposition party won a decisive victory in last weekend's election, but now the hard work begins for Yingluck who has the difficult task of unifying a divided nation.
Our Southeast Asia correspondent Zoe Daniel reports.
ZOE DANIEL: On election night the anti-government red shirts were ecstatic in their celebration of the opposition's election win.
The Pheu Thai Party won a resounding victory with enough seats to govern in its own right and more than a hundred seats more than the incumbent Democrat government. It's since formed a five-party coalition with smaller players which effectively cuts the Democrats out as a player at all, at least for the moment.
Prime minister elect Yingluck Shinawatra is now grappling with the task of forming government without being overshadowed by her brother Thaksin who is not even in the country.
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: Election won because of myself and also Pheu Thai Party policy.
ZOE DANIEL: Former Prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted in a coup in 2006. He was subsequently convicted in absentia on corruption charges that he says were politically motivated. But his opponents accuse the billionaire businessman of running the country as if it was his family business empire and ignoring the rule of law. Yingluck is going to have to try to dispel concerns that she's merely his proxy.
You continue to battle the perception that you are Khun Thaksin's puppet. How are you going to shake that?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: I think please give me the chance and the time pass by for me to proven all the thing and how we implement.
ZOE DANIEL: Initially appointing her to lead the opposition seemed like a bizarre move, but it proved a brilliant strategy as Thaksin's supporters came out to back her.
SUPPORTER (translated): He is in my heart, Thaksin is in my heart. I think this party is belonged to people.
ZOE DANIEL: Seemingly she's also attracted a new support base from those who appreciate her deliberately feminine, softer approach. Already she's had to deny rumours that Thaksin would become a Thai trade envoy on the outside. Mooted plans to bring him back via an amnesty eventually, will be even more controversial.
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: We have to do for the whole country and make sure that everyone would get the same treatment.
ZOE DANIEL: What does that mean? Are you still going to look at an amnesty or not?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: My brother will be one of the people who has to get the same, the same basis.
ZOE DANIEL: Is there a concern though that even if you get to that point you may have done so much work on reconciliation, yet bringing him back will just divide the country again?
YINGLUCK SHINAWATRA: No, I think that we have to set the opportunity that we have to push for me to make sure that Thailand can move forward, by unite Thailand. So this is the key thing in the framework, that the committee will discuss together.
Not just only the purpose to bring my brother, because he already mentioned, don't concern about himself, and I cannot do anything for just himself, because I devote myself for the country, so I have to do for the country.
ZOE DANIEL: Yingluck Shinawatra is going to have to find a compromise image which demonstrates that she can think independently too.
In Bangkok this is Zoe Daniel for Correspondents Report.
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