Prem: Bad leaders are doomed to failure

Bad individuals are bound for doom if they try to gain control of the nation in order to amass ill-gotten wealth for themselves and their supporters, a chief adviser to His Majesty the King said yesterday.

"I believe the Guardian Spirit of the Kingdom will always guide and protect good people while putting a curse on bad people," General Prem Tinsulanonda said.

The Thai Kingdom is sacred and the forces of evil will be self-defeated in the end, Prem said.

Prem's remarks coincided with growing criticism about the leadership of caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Faced with a prolonged political crisis, Thaksin made a veiled attack in June on a leading figure "outside the Constitution" for trying to overthrow him.

In the past month Prem has delivered a series of powerful speeches seen as being critical of flawed leadership. He visited the Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy and the Naval Academy to rally the military behind the monarchy and the Kingdom.

In an analogy, he likened the soldiers to a horse belonging to the King while the government was merely the jockey. He also reminded the military to uphold ethics and morals rather than succumb to greed and the lure of ill-gotten gains.

He concluded his series of military lectures at the Air Force Academy yesterday.

In opening his remarks, he called on soldiers to strictly heed royal advice.

"Some people have heard and understood His Majesty's remarks many times but failed to put them into practice," he said. "This may be because certain individuals who are dishonest and bad can never heed the royal advice."

He drew on the royal advice given in 1969 to illustrate his point.

The King suggested the promotion of good people and preventing bad people from gaining power to stir up trouble, he said.

"This advice about reining in bad people means that leaders should be honest, because those with greed and dishonesty cannot impart good leadership," he said.

It is the duty of every soldier to ensure that bad people are not allowed to rise to or stay on in positions of power, he said.

He said the Thai cultural trait for giving respect to an elder might be cumbersome if practised blindly.

"Respecting your elders should not be allowed to breed tolerance for senior but bad figures," he said.

The armed forces should set an example in reprimanding bad people, he said.

Panya Thiewsangwan

The Nation