By Max Constant
BANGKOK
For the rural people of his native province in the country's central plains, Thailand's 21st prime minister was known affectionately as "pee Banharn" -- "elder brother Banharn" -- but for those in glistening capital Bangkok he was seen in quite a different light.
For them, Suphanburi parliamentarian Banharn Silpa Archa , a veteran politician whose funeral services open in Bangkok Sunday, was nicknamed “the walking ATM machine” in recognition of his reputation as a godfather-like politician.
Silpa Archa, who ruled for a scandal-ridden 16 months from 1995 to 1996, epitomizes the political divide in the Kingdom -- the populist money politics of the rice fields versus the conservative elite politics of the dominant megalopolis.
The announcement of his asthma-related death Saturday at the age of 83 in Siriraj hospital -- where the country's ailing 87-year-old King, Bhumibol Adulyadej, is also being treated -- sent shockwaves through the country.
Every Thai over voting age has an opinion of Silpa Archa , a provincial businessman who was a permanent fixture in the Thai political landscape for the last half-century.
When asked for the ruling junta's reaction Saturday, government spokesperson Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnert hailed Silpa Archa 's 42-year political legacy.
"The Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha believes what Mr. Banharn has done as an MP and prime minister will be remembered forever," the Bangkok Post reported him as saying.
Former premier Yingluck Shinawatra, whose populist government was overthrown in a May 2014 coup led by Chan-ocha, called Silpa Archa’s death "a great loss".
"Having known him for so many years, I found him to be a well-respected and down-to-earth ‘puyai’ ['respected elder'] to all. Throughout his political career, whether as an MP or a prime minister, he was dedicated to looking after the people and developing each area," she wrote in a Facebook post.
Silpa Archa entered politics in 1974, following the demise of the military dictatorship of Field Marshall Thanom Kittikachorn. In the decaying political landscape, King Bhumibol convened an assembly of representatives from every sector and province to usher Thailand into a new democratic era.
Enter Silpa Archa, whose popularity waxed and waned for the next 43 years -- but even in his later years he was never far from the frontlines.
Earlier this month, Silpa Archa's last public statement saw him express support for the current prime minister-cum-junta leader, calling him "a hardworking and dedicated man, willing to work for the good of the country”.
Chan-ocha, a thin-skinned former army chief, has publicly condoned corruption and nepotism in his circle of military offices -- the same behaviour Silpa Archa has long been accused of.
Silpa Archa was the quintessential Thai politician of the 1990s: a provincial godfather-like figure who managed, through connections and use of influence, to make it to the national level.
His popularity is no more obvious than in Suphanburi, the rice bowl of Thailand around 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Bangkok, where he continues to be deeply revered.
Travel through the fields, and farmers greet his name with a smile and the observation that Silpa Archa “eats but also spits out” -- suggesting that during his time in power he used the state budget for his own convenience, but also to develop his native province.
Suphanburi's provincial capital is its own pristine money-politics fortress. Even though the average income is half that of Bangkok, four-lane roads dominate -- beautifully pruned trees lining their center. Huge public parks abound, and an enormous glistening Banharn-Jemsai tower -- named after the politician and his wife -- shines throughout the night.
Money politics dominated Thailand between 1988 and the election in 2001 of Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister. It saw provincial businessmen buy their way into local politics and, for the most influential, into national politics.
The method was simple -- buy votes from the population and, when elected, reimburse yourself by creaming off "a commission" from public contracts.
For such politicians, the game was almost up in 1991, when a military coup saw the new junta open an investigation into several prominent politicians, among them Silpa Archa , for being “unusually rich”.
The investigation was abandoned in May 1992, however, after the coup leader was force to give up power.
In 1995, Silpa Archa was elected by a fractured parliament and led a coalition government for little more than a year. He was forced to quit in 1996 because of the worsening Thai economy, a situation that would trigger a major financial and economic crisis in Asia in the summer of 1997.
The rise and subsequent coming to power of Thaksin Shinawatra in 2001 saw a change in the rules of the game.
Such influential provincial politicians as Silpa Archa were pushed aside, and Shinawatra set about enriching his political clan and their businesses through the manipulation of economic laws – a method local and international analysts dubbed "policy corruption".
With the Shinawatra clan now dethroned, the junta has hinted at a return to the political system of old. The pursuit of a new draft charter of the constitution seeks to eradicate such strong executives as Shinawatra, who were backed by a wide parliamentary majority.
The charter written earlier this year by a military-appointed committee of legal experts appears determined to bring back the political system of the 1990s, when political parties were weak and no prime minister could end a four-year term due to constant bickering within their coalition.
The draft charter will be subject to a popular referendum Aug. 7.
Such political frameworks allowed figures such as Silpa Archa to excel, which may go some way to explaining his recent lauding of the junta leader.
Silpa Archa's funeral ceremony (sponsored by the Thai royal family) begin in Thepsirin Royal Buddhist temple in Bangkok on Sunday and last for 10 days -- the usual period for state mourning of a prominent Thai figure.
After the mourning period, Silpa Archa's body is taken from a golden urn provided by the king -- in which the body has been placed in a squatting position -- and cremated.
Such treatment is reserved for "important people" in Thailand, including princes and kings.
