The Winds Have Changed - Moving On
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by Mew Tong
I have been a party member of PUP since its inception and the party before that, TRP, which was one of the merger parties that formed PUP (the other being TUP). People have gone by and slowly the party has changed, from the level of activity to the ideologies the members hold. I miss Guy Kilmore and Ealb, for their sharp but substantive critiques and analysis of daily Thai issues.
Sadly, I cannot support the current party in form and substance. The party president has been arbitrary to say the least, even though one can say he only has good intentions, I prefer the former system where consultations and votations were held, and that even if these systems fail (in terms of turnout), they will not be discarded for the sake of convenience. Plus, the recent Congressional elections saw no organization for the effective distribution of votes compared to the past.
The presidential candidate has been reckless and dissonant with past party ideology. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with militarization and a more aggressive Thai state. But the arbitrariness and sudden shift of stances without prior widespread consultation and discussion doesn't jibe with my values.
Plus, retrospectively (and even prior to war people had posted good arguments against the war), the war against Malaysia was for naught. We lost a lot, and I mean a lot, of gold to wage a war in exchange for some experience and operational capabilities check (which we could do in some other way). We looked foolish in the eyes of the world with a lot of eCitizens helping eMalaysia against our territorial ambitions.
But my decision has been long time in the making. Issues with transparency in Jack Robert's time and the departure of more critical minded members like Ealb have diminished my faith and association with the party. The recent events are the straw that broke the camel's back in making up my mind that PUP is no longer the party for me.
Therefore, with all the aforementioned reasons, I am hereby resigning as a PUP member. I am inclined to join the Laissez Faire party as of now.
I will stay and I will hold people in power accountable. It's sad I lost my voice in Congress since, unlike most, I dutifully cast my vote at every issue with an informed decision beforehand. I hope the country takes a path that is justified and rational.
Prosperity and Glory to Thailand!
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Welcome, I made the same step.
You're late. I left a few days ago.
To answer your points:
I have always attempted to include the members of the PUP in decisions and plebiscites. However, voter apathy has defeated my attempts on both occasions. I cannot accurately gauge the opinions of the party when only 5 people vote. As for the second occasion, I did try and send a message to you as well as other members of the PUP to get their opinions. Apparently, the messages didn't always go through, as I sent roughly 30 messages and only got 6 back, all from people who supported the war.
As for the Congressional elections, I do regret that they did not see the same level of organization as previous elections. However, the blame cannot be completely placed upon the PUP. Many foreigners came to Thailand to run this election cycle, blocking the "true" candidates of the PUP and stealing votes. Also, the Thai political scene has seen a sizable amount of fracturing into smaller parties, leading to a plethora of new congressional candidates.
I am sorry to see you go, Mew Tong. Perhaps you will reconsider?
History repeats itself. Poor Thailand.
What history are you referring to, Kuolun?
Thanks Albert I know you did your best. You were a good party president and you only had good intentions for the party. Keep PUP strong, I still love that dog! 🙂
I'm just going to stroll around for a while. You never know I could come back. I just need a break to find where my values belong.
Hmm... I disagree with your actions. If you really wanted to show your opinions against the way this country is treating our relations with other countries, specifically war, it seems it would be a better option to stay in the party that you have long agreed with and try to actually make a difference from there, instead of separating yourself from it, and joining a party led by someone who, as you put, does appose aggression and a more militaristic Thai state. I cannot speak on your goals, as I do not share them, but it seems that this is less taking action, and more stepping away from the problem.