Qasim v Shinawatra

Thaksin Shinawatra, a successful Thai businessman, entered politics in 1994 by joining the Phalang Dharma Party.

Qasim Ibrahim, a successful Maldivian businessman, entered politics over fifteen years ago, not by joining a party, since there were none, but by attacking Qayyoom’s government at every opportunity. Yet, when he came face to face with Qayyoom, there was no better person on earth for Qasim. In 2005 he was incarcerated as a suspect involved in an alleged coup attempt against Qayyoom. While denying involvement in any coup attempt, he admitted to illegally financing the election campaigns of several MPs and Special MPs. Before the due process in law was completed against Qasim, he was pardoned by Qayyoom. Later Qasim joined Qayyoom’s party, DRP, and accepted the posts of Minister for Finance, and Governor of the Central Bank. Qasim wasted no time; he quickly grabbed the opportunity to make his name indelible by issuing a new Rf. 500 currency note with his signature on.

Thaksin Shinawatra later founded the Thai Rak Thai (TRT) party in 1998. Qasim, while remaining a member of Qayyoom’s party and cabinet, later got a group of his trusted comrades to form a political party. Having publicly declared his ostensible support to Qayyoom and DRP at its second national congress as the party's second Deputy Leader, Qasim quit Qayyoom’s cabinet and DRP the very next day and joined the newly established party of his friends, and wasted no time in declaring his intentions to run for president.

Shinawatra became the Prime Minister in 2001. He was re-elected in 2005. But he was frequently accused of corruption, authoritarianism and religious desecration. It was alleged that conflicts of interest made him unfit for being the head of government. He also abused the loopholes in law to protect his interests. He was also known to be hostile to the press. To top it all, he was allegedly guilty of lèse-majesté, being accused of having sold national assets to foreign investors. In late 2006, he was overthrown in a bloodless coup by the military while he was travelling overseas.