Thailand's new PM renews her father's legacy, divisive Thaksin Shinawatra

The election of Paetongtarn Shinawatra as Thailands prime minister represents a remarkable backtothefuture moment She is renewing the political dynasty founded by her billionaire father Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a military coup in 2006The 37yearold Paetongtarn a former business executive becomes the third close member of the Shinawatra clan to take the prime ministers job Thaksins sister Yingluck Shinawatra was Thailands first female prime minister from 2011 to 2014 An inlaw also served briefly in 2008Although Thaksin was a vastly popular politician who handily won three elections Thailands royalist establishment was disturbed that his populist policies threatened the monarchy at the heart of Thai identity Their hostility helped drive both him and Yingluck out of office and into exileThen last year Thaksin alienated many of his old supporters with what looked like a selfserving deal with his former conservative foes It allowed his return from exile and his party to form the new government but sidelined the progressive Move Forward Party which finished first in the election but was seen by the establishment as a greater threatWhen Paetongtarn was on the campaign trail for the Thaksinbacked Pheu Thai party she acknowledged her family ties but insisted she was not her fathers proxy ldquoIts not the shadow of my dad I am my dads daughter always and forever but I have my own decisionsrdquo she told a reporterAs she comes to power however there are no signs she has carved her own niche with ideas that would distinguish her policies from those endorsed by her party or her father a smorgasbord of economic measures including cash handouts and loosened tourist entry rulesAnd not everything has been squared away with her familys enemies Yingluck remains in exile and legal problems mdash arguably politically inspired mdash could see her jailed if she returns to ThailandHowever Paetongtarn exuded confidence and empathy as she campaigned last year travelling extensively and addressing rallies around the country while pregnant with her second child Her son Prutthasin was born less than two weeks before the electionPaetongtarn widely known by her nickname ldquoUng Ingrdquo is the youngest of Thaksins three children and its clear she is the one chosen to carry on her fathers legacyHer public entry into politics came in 2021 when the Pheu Thai Party named her chief of its Inclusion and Innovation Advisory CommitteeAsked then if she would become a politician or a candidate for prime minister she told reporters ldquoI feel safer to be an adviser than a politician I want to make my project successful For other things I am not ready yetrdquo Politics watchers however could read the tea leavesPaetongtarns appointment showed Thaksin remained influential in Pheu Thai and has been its main decisionmaker said Kovit Wongsurawat an associate professor in the law school at Bangkoks Assumption UniversityldquoPreviously Thaksin let people outside his family run the party and nothing seemed to get betterrdquo Kovit said referring to the time Thaksin was in exile ldquoI am not surprised that he let his daughter take this position It is not easy for him to find someone he can really trustrdquo In late 2022 as Thailand geared up for elections Paetongtarn raised her profile speaking like a candidate for prime minister Pheu Thai named her as one of three official candidates ahead of the pollsldquoThe next four years will be the years that our country will bounce back and regain our dignity and priderdquo Paetongtarn said at a campaign rally ldquoTo think big and act smart will help rebuild our country and improve the livelihood of Thai people mdash as if its a miracle Only political stability will help usrdquo Paetongtarn outlined proposals that she said would benefit ordinary Thais including doubling the daily minimum wage expanding health care coverage and reducing fares on Bangkoks public transportation systemldquoAll we have to do is to work together to change the countrys leadershiprdquo she saidObservers could see she learned from her fatherldquoShe connects with the electorate the base She also has I think some talent that may have been inherited from her father in terms of going out on stump speeches connecting with voters speaking in front of large crowds and running a campaign while being pregnantrdquo said Thitinan Pongsudhirak a professor of political science at Bangkoks Chulalongkorn University ldquoShe is definitely prime minister materialrdquo Though Thaksin with his wealth and popularity has remained one of Thailands top political operators time has weakened his grip if only slightlyLast year for the first time a party under his control failed to finish first in the election yielding the top spot to the Move Forward Party whose progressive policies successfully wooed younger votersBehind the scenes however with the help of the conservative forces that once brought him down Thaksin reportedly engineered a deal allowing his return from exile and freezing out Move Forward putting Pheu Thai at the head of a new coalition governmentWhen Thaksin returned to Thailand last August Paetongtarn was the most prominent among the family members who appeared with himSpeculation she would take a Cabinet position proved unfounded Instead she took on the role of promoting Thailands ldquosoft powerrdquo highlighting such national selling points as food culture sports and the Pride parade in BangkokHer political position strengthened significantly in October when she was chosen as leader of Pheu Thai The move reasserted the Shinawatra familys overt domination of the party and made a future bid for the post of prime minister almost inevitableAs it turned out that chance came sooner rather than laterThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday 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