From the NYTimes:Saving Thai Democracy: Will the Cure Kill the Patient?

[Guest rainwalker]

Published: August 30, 2006

 

BANGKOK, Aug. 29

[Bob]

While I'm no fan of Shinawatra, I am even less of a fan of any group of alleged intellectuals who make any attempt to "save" a country by employing non-democratic methods. The whole point of a democracy is that a majority get to elect the leader and the snobby intellectuals, rather than respecting the choice of the majority, end up undermining the whole system. It's not much different than the generals staging a coup because they don't like how things are going.

 

What is amazing all the more is the situation in Thailand where Thai Rak Thai garnered an unprecedented 70% of the vote. But, as you say, the vote was largely the rural folk and poor folk and the alleged intelligentia didn't support him.

 

If Thaksin is breaking the law, deal with it in the Court as that's the system. Or advocate a meritorious position, find a semi-intelligent leader, and have the balls to try to beat him at the ballotbox (boycotting the election when you know you're going to get your butt thrashed is stupd and, arguably, undemocratic). Thaksin may or may not be corrupt but Sondhi and his cadre are elitist snobs in my opinion.

 

(Not that it should surprise anybody, but Sondhi - the leader of the group that marched in Bangkok and demanded resignations, etc. - is neither a hero or a populist but just happens to be a bitter business rival of Shinawatra. Sondhi is supposedly the second richest guy in Thailand. I wouldn't want him "saving" me from anyone).

[Guest PapaDavid]

 

If Thaksin is breaking the law, deal with it in the Court as that's the system.

 

How do you deal with it when Thaksin has most of the judiciary in his pocket and also uses his immense wealth to sue the pants of anyone who gets in his way for hundreds of millions of Baht? When the judicial system is stacked against you where else should the disaffected turn, except to public protest ?

 

Having said all that, I fully agree that there is no visible or apparant alternative waiting in the wings and Sondhi seems to be a Thaksin Mark II.

[Guest Hedda]

No one ever suggested that bright people can't also be very naive when applying their western standards of "democracy" to third world countries.

 

Rigged elections where the campaign is largely dominated by the mass media under government control and where votes are bought by the richest bidder are hardly "democracy in action."

 

Generations of corruption and a "steal what you can" mentalilty are what brought Thaksin Shinawatra to power, either by those who saw him as their meal ticket to the trough, or the naive who thought that rich men are less likely to steal, forgetting that, even if true, they are also less likely to care what their minions are up to stealing in what's petty cash for them.

 

Someone forgot that the rich usually only want to get richer, regardless of how they got there, and the corrupt only seek more, not less. That's the systemic problem with Thailand today, and a lot of other self-styled democracies, who go through the ritual of holding "democratic" elections, electing folks who don't care to address, much less treat the rot within.

[Guest Thaiquila]

That's the systemic problem with Thailand today, and a lot of other self-styled democracies, who go through the ritual of holding "democratic" elections, electing folks who don't care to address, much less treat the rot within.

 

Let us not forget, we are all part of the "rot within" as sex tourists in this land of smiles.

[Guest PapaDavid]

 

Someone forgot that the rich usually only want to get richer, regardless of how they got there, and the corrupt only seek more, not less.

 

As someone living in what is euphemistically called "the cradle of democracy" I can attest that even here in the UK corruption is rife. There was small scale corruption during the Conservative years (e.g. money in brown envelopes for favours rendered) but that has been far eclipsed by the corruption practised by the present New Labour Government.

They have honed it into a fine art with honours, business contracts and lucrative positions on Quangos (NGOs) going to those who have donated or loaned cash, or done favours or provided free holidays for members of the government and leaders of the ruling Labour party.

Corruption is rife in every society and country, it is just that in Thailand nobody even tries to cover it up, so much so that it is accepted by the populace as "the Thai way of doing things".

[Guest A Rose By Any Other Name]

Corruption is rife in every society and country, it is just that in Thailand nobody even tries to cover it up, so much so that it is accepted by the populace as "the Thai way of doing things".

 

You like the state the obvious, don't you PP?

 

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