#LIBERAS AND DICTATORS FOR FREE#

These were a universal health care scheme (the first ever in Thailand) and a 1 million baht fund, loaned to each village to encourage small businesses. The poor, who form the vast majority of the Thai electorate, voted enthusiastically for the two flagship policies of the party. This mixed economic model was what Thai Rak Thai called a 'dual track' policy.

#LIBERAS AND DICTATORS FOR FREE#

At the same the party pursued neo-liberal policies such as privatisation and the support for free trade agreements (F.T.A.s). The aim was to create social peace after the 1997 economic crisis so that the government could increase Thailand's economic competitiveness.

Thai Rak Thai is a 'Populist' party of the bosses which offered pro-poor policies and village level Keynesian economic stimuli by pumping state money into local projects. Thai Rak Thai held meetings with different social groups and came up with real policies at the time of their first election victory in 2001. Previously they did not bother to come up with any policies, relying instead on vote buying and big name politicians. Ever since the collapse of the Maoist Communist Party of Thailand, Thai politics has been monopolised by political parties of the capitalist class. The party is unique in recent Thai political history in that it actually spent considerable time developing policies. Ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat founded the Thai Rak Thai party after the economic crisis of 1997. They have also increased censorship of the media and enacted a number of authoritarian measures, including suppression of street protests. The military are so worried that they will lose the vote that they have tried to ban anyone from campaigning against this reactionary Constitution. The immediate debate right now is centred around the military's new Constitution which is being put to a referendum on 19 August. Today the country, and the Peoples' Movement, are split down the middle between those who have lined up to support the military junta and those who oppose it. This helps to expose the true, undemocratic nature of Liberalism. Yet the 19th September coup in Thailand was carried out in order to support the free-market and it was supported by a wide array of liberal academics and politicians. Liberalism, both in its political and economic forms, has tried to claim the mantle of Democracy, even more so since the end of the Cold War. The 19th September 2006 coup, which overthrew the government of Thaksin Shinawat and destroyed Thai democracy along with the 1997 Constitution, has not only prolonged and intensified the Thai political crisis, it has also exposed the true nature of Thai Liberalism.

Liberas and dictators