Given time, it could still work

Thailand changed from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy following the events leading up to June 24, 1932. In the subsequent 80 years, Thailand has struggled to articulate its own definition of democracy, a task not made the easier by the frequent intervention of the generals with yet another of their all-too-numerous coups.

Many political and social commentators bewail the inability of Thai social and political institutions to come to grips with this, and lament the feudalistic state that still lurks, controls and dominates beneath and behind the veneer of democratic institutions.   

But 80 years of experimental democracy is but a tick of the clock in terms of the development of democracy in the western world. Let’s take British democracy as one example, for as the democratic reformer John Bright said in 1865, this is the “Mother of parliaments”.

In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system into his newly conquered territories in England. It took nearly 200 years before this system was challenged and King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215. This did little to change feudalism and in hindsight was largely a symbolic limitation of the power of kings.

Over proceeding centuries the powers of the English monarchy were, piece by piece, reduced.  Significantly, we need to mention the English Civil War in the 17th century, which ended up with Cromwell chopping off King Charles I’s head.

Further changes came slowly, but it was not until 1893 that a British colony, New Zealand, became the first country in the world to introduce universal suffrage for both men and women, regardless of their land-owning status.

It took a further 40 years until the “mother country” followed the lead when the UK in 1932 introduced the right to vote for all men and women aged 21 and over, this largely as a result of the changed status of British women forged during the First World War.

So, when anyone laments that Thailand is not a true and pure democracy after 80 years, let’s remind ourselves that the “mother of parliaments” only became a true democracy in the same year that Thailand took its first tentative steps towards democracy, 1932 – a significant year for Thailand and the UK alike. 

And, please remember, the British had nearly a thousand years head start to experiment and define the process.

David Brown

Rayong