Today we played the latest round of the entirely speculative and hand-wringing game called “Does Thein Sein Really Want to be President Again?”
The results are in, and surprise surprise, they’re the same as last time.
We don’t have a clue.
Why? Because Thein Sein won’t tell anybody.
His latest “I just might have to be president, but I’m not sure yet” comments appeared today in an interview with the Japanese-owned Nikkei Asian Review. After each quote, we attempt to interpret it with a few sentences in italics.
“With my age – and with some health concerns, I want to retire… But frankly speaking, in our country, there are very few young or even middle-aged people who could steer the country in the right direction,” he said.
Interpretation: I don’t really want this, but how many people can do this job? How many as qualified as me? How many even remotely at my level? Not many I suspect. With that in mind, I just might have to be president, but I’m not sure yet.
“As you know our electoral system and presidential selection procedure is that [a presidential candidate] does not need to run in elections because it is based on parliamentarians, who choose the president,” he continued. “So running in the election is not necessary. The president is chosen by parliamentarians through an electoral college system.
Interpretation: Don’t get it twisted. It’s true that I’m not running in the election, but our laws stipulate that I don’t have to run to be president. Lawmakers will pick me, not voters. And if it comes to that…I just might have to be president, but I’m not sure yet.
“But at present what I consider more important than being president or being [the] next president is to stage these elections peacefully and successfully and in a free and fair manner – and I want to see peace and stability in the post-election period and to ensure that whoever wins the elections and the presidency can form a government in a peaceful and stable manner. That is more important than pursuing the presidency – and that is what I have on my mind.”
Interpretation: Let me worry about the election first. We can talk about the presidency later, after the people get elected decide who they want to choose for the job. And if their choice is me, well, all I can say is that I just might have to be president, but I’m not sure yet.
Photo: Wikicommons
