Don't expect any of the main players in the current political arena to admit that they are practising it. They may call it "survival politics" or even "public service".Published on August 2, 2007

 But there is no doubt about it - the name of the game is hypocrisy, pure and simple.

Those who probably think they have nothing to lose have gone whole hog for the fine art of hypocrisy. That's why you noticed no sense of embarrassment whatsoever when leading members of the Thai Rak Thai Party, who used to pride themselves as being on the "left" during the October uprisings, welcomed the arrival of the country's best-known "right-wing chieftain" into their ranks under the People Power Party. The former arch-rivals have joined together to come to the rescue of the country's most popular capitalist.

In case your memory has been blurred somewhat, remember that the same guy who became a powerful Cabinet member after the bloody, ultra-right military coup on October 6, 1976 is now poised to head a political party that comprises mainly Thai Rak Thai members who have vowed to go against the September 19, 2006 coup!

The same question must be raised over the campaign by academics who have come out to call on us to reject the constitution in the August 19 referendum, saying that it's "the only way to express our disapproval of the junta and the aristocracy".

No doubt, coups are bad and they set the country back into the political Dark Ages, but what about corrupt politicians who tried to buy the generals and at the same time gave the military an excuse to intervene?

If you go through the interim constitution with a fine-tooth comb, you would discover that if a simple majority throws out the charter draft, that would result in it being thrown back to the coup-leaders, who would then have the right to choose any of the previous constitutions and simply declare it into force immediately.

In fact, the "junta", in collusion with the military-appointed Cabinet, could make whatever additions or subtractions they like.

In other words, if you vote against the new charter on the grounds that you can't possibly agree with the September 19 coup, then some people may say that you are simply handing the power back to the same group of people you are supposed to detest. You may be accused of self-righteousness, but that's because such critics don't appreciate the hypocrites' argument that their double standards can somehow heal society's wounds, and enable people to put up a facade of taking a position on the country's crucial issues.

Isn't it because we pay respect to hypocrites that we took it seriously when some of Thaksin Shinawatra's followers set up an "independent" group by the name of the "Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship" and proceeded to storm police barricades and shout obscenities at Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda?

Hypocrisy was abundant when a leading member of the anti-Thaksin alliance turned into an anti-coup militant and described the ex-premier as "mud" when he was detained by police last week and declared that "mud" can't be cleaned up by "mud" but must be cleared out by "clean water".

Hypocrisy was also in full swing when the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission ruled, in black and white, that there was nothing wrong with a member of his commission - which used to pride itself on being politically impartial - leading the "mob" last Sunday evening to shout angry slogans in front of General Prem's house.

"It's his right as an individual," the chairman said.

Hypocrisy, it has been said, is the act of condemning another person when the critic is guilty of the same thing he is condemning. But, the same sage would also tell you that to preach against an act that you yourself have committed does not constitute hypocrisy, even if one makes an effort to conceal one's behaviour. It becomes hypocrisy, one might argue, only when it involves verbal attacks or when one demands that those guilty of committing the same act that one practices oneself be punished.

Hypocrisy can therefore, simply put, be likened to the pot calling the kettle black.

That reminds me of the dramatic statement by Colonel Potter on the television show "M*A*S*H" who declared: "Just remember, there's a right way and wrong way to do everything - and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way."